Somebody is watching over me
by Muckel
Summary: COMPLETED Chapter 12 and 13 are posted! A normal bank visit ends up in a disaster for Starsky and Hutch. When one partner is critically injured, the other one puts his life on the line to save the friend.But would this be enough?
1. Prologue

**Hello, everybody out other! I'm new here and, therefore, a few prefatory words. Because English is not my first language, I ask for forbearance because of some spelling or grammar mistakes! I try to make amends! For over 30 years I love the series Starsky & Hutch, and since I have found this great FanFic, I'm one eager reader of these fantastic stories. Now I have tried to write one, so please be mercy, it's my first one! So first I need a lot of feedbacks and second I urgently need a beta reader! So, I hope you like the history!**

**THIS IS NOT A DEATH STORY! **

Someone is watching over you

Prologue

"_He's dying…"_

No, that can't be true!

"_He's dying…"_

It's a LIE!

"_He's dying…"_

'_He's strong, I know it. He never would do this… He's my best friend… Oh God I'm so tired…'_

He was sitting in an uncomfortable wheelchair, one elbow propped on his right tight and his face in his hand. His head hurts; he could feel the deep gash over his left eyebrow, the now dried blood on his cheek. His badly broken left leg throbbed and pounded like hell, it rested outstretched on a footrest of the wheel chair, immobilized by splint reached up from the tiptoes to his thigh.

'_God I'm so damn ti__red'_

"_I'm so sorry, but he's dying"_

Over and over again he heard these words like a sledgehammer in his brain. He didn't know what to do, he felt like crying but there were no more tears in his eyes, he felt like laughing at the absurd words, but there was a deep knot in his gut telling him it might be truth.

He was so scared. Never ever in his live he had felt so lonely and scared. It was like spider climbing up his heart. Nobody would be there to tough him, to rest a hand on his shoulder, to tell him that everything was going to be all right or simply to laugh with him.

Nobody was there.

He was alone.

He fought back his tears, pressed his palms against his eyes, took a deep sob and closed his eyes.

He began to shiver uncontrollable.

Then he heard himself crying. For the first time in 24 hours he allowed himself to be weak. He heard himself sob as the tears ran down his cheeks and neck but he didn't care.

He couldn't care less!

"_He's dying…"_

These three words were bouncing in his head like bowls.

'_No, no, no that can't be true…'_

He leaned back on the chair and stared into space, his breathing discontinued with sober. He didn't know how long his was sitting in this chair, minutes, hours? Feeling his back it might be days. He began to shiver again, but this time not for crying but for feeling so cold. Somebody had given him a blanket which lay now over his shoulder. But it didn't worm him up.

He needed someone to hug him like a small child who lost its parents in an overcrowded shopping mail or had a nightmare.

A nightmare.

Yes, this whole day was a terrible nightmare and he would wake up in just a few minutes and everything would be all right.

But he knew that he wouldn't wake up.

He knew that he still would be sitting in this damn chair in this damn room and would be hearing somebody say those damn words over and over again.

"_Sorry__, but he's dying…"_

And he couldn't do anything about it.

Because he knew it was the truth.

With unseeing eyes he stared back at the door, hoping somebody would come giving him the missing comfort of a human being. Suddenly he realised what the words would mean to him.

Nobody would ever be there to laugh with him, play games with him, gave him a hug when something felt terrible wrong or to cry with him.

Like now.

_**He** _wouldn't be there, _he_, his best friend and partner, _**he**,_ the only one in this crazy world who meant something to him. _**He**_, who was more of a brother than his own flesh and blood.

Like twins.

His other half, his soul.

_**He**_ wouldn't be there anymore.

His eyes were burning with tears now, a piercing cry burst out of him, more like a wounded animal than human. He rested his head in his arm and wept.

Suddenly he felt cool fingers on his neck and a hand touching his back. He heard a softly speaking voice soothing and whispering words of comfort in his ear.

When he looked up he saw two deep-brown eyes meeting his. Two tear-stained, sorrowful eyes were looking at him and a hand softly touched his head, wiped away his tears with the thumb.

Now he knew that he wouldn't be alone any more.

Maybe now there was somebody who was watching over him.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter one**

"Please, Starsky, hurry up! I'm running out of time!"

Detective Sergeant Ken 'Hutch' Hutchinson hammered with his fingernails on the window frame. "Look at you watch; we only have five minutes to go! Its Friday and the bank closes on Fridays at 4p.m. Do you still know where your gas pedal is? I'm faster on foot than in this car! I don't expect too much of your miraculous car, but is it possible for you to drive a little bit faster, not that I'm in a great hurry... But **_please_,** show me, just one more time how fast you're striped tomato is! You're driving like a snail"

"HUTCHINSON!!!… And _**you**_ are driving me crazy! STOP THAT!!!"

"Stop what?"

"That drumming! It's getting on my nerves! And by the way: **_I'M_ **not the one who's always too late! And don't _**you**_ never ever call my car a tomato! It's a Ford, a Ford Torino, and _**not **_a **_tomato_**!"

Detective Sergeant David Michael Starsky rolled his eyes, stepped on the gas pedal and goosed the engine of the bright red Torino.

Hutch was flung backwards in his seat and glanced at his partner.

He always knew on which button he had to press…!

He knew Starsky was right in saying he was always too late, but only too late in getting to the bank for his weekly payment, because when it's about being too late for going to work or being too late for reaching an agreement it was always Starsky's turn.

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It was one of the hottest days in Bay City since the last two weeks.

And for the two detectives it was one of the hardest weeks in the last two weeks, too.

The town was like a volcano, threatening to break out sometime. There was rumor in every corner, here smaller fights there a weapon pulled out directly. Starsky and Hutch had never been called before to so many incidents as during these two weeks. Not to mention all the small criminals, drug dealers and thieves also used the favor of the hour to make their life harder.  
It was simply too hot.

The day started already badly, because Starsky overslept once again. They arrived too late at the police department, without breakfast, without important coffee and were sent directly to their first appointment by a really angry Dobey.

This time maybe not only the high temperatures were to blame, maybe it was just bad luck this day started so bad. A well-known thief had robbed the daily receipts of a store and as a result almost all police officers of Bay City were behind him. Of course the thief didn't know anything about it, he wanted to escape and fled with a stolen car straight through the whole town, the haunters always behind. At the end two police cars were absolutely battered, several uninvolved cars were bruised and one dozen furious car owners wanted to announce damage. In the middle of that chaos Starsky and Hutch tried to calm the upset crowd of people, to regulate the traffic and to take up the thief's criminal offences.

It took them nearly one hour, but then all involved people were finally contented and both Detectives brought the malefactor to the police department. After they had ended the odious paper work, they wanted to go to the canteen to get their long overdue lunch, when they got their next appointment order. So it went on the whole day, and it happened that neither Hutch could cash his payment nor Starsky received his urgent needed lunch.

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Hutch pushed down the window pane and leaned the arm on the window frame.  
"Man, I'm really beaten! These temperatures are killing me!" He was reaching for the water bottle lying in the glove compartment. He took a big gulp splashing the rest of the water into his face. _'Aaah, this is good!' _He thought wiping the water out of sight.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing there? That's _**my**_ water, you know? What shall I drink now? At the next shop you buy me a new one! You high northerners don't get used to the warm weather here in nice California! Maybe you better should spend the summer in Duluth!"

"Really very funny Starsky! Go on and you get yourself a new partner."

"**Me**? A new partner. Now, that I have taught you everything finally? No chance, Hutch! You stuck witch me…. Although I never could inspire you for real food... Maybe a new partner..."

"Ah, stop that, Starsky! What do you mean about 'real food'? You obviously don't mean your junk food is 'real food', don't you?" Hutch looked at his friend completely amazed.

Starsky shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I think, I really need a new partner. A partner, who always is in good mood, even when he's under pressure, a partner who really likes good cars, especially _**my car**_! And it's very important that he's…"

"And it's very important that he doesn't get grumpy when he overslept and doesn't get on _**my**_ nerves when _**he**_ doesn't get enough to eat!" Hutch interrupted his partner with a forced glance.

"Touché!"

"Be my guest!"

Starsky loved to tease his best friend with his quirks. Besides, even if he didn't get off lightly but they fit together perfectly; they were like fire and water, moon and sun. One couldn't be without the other, together they became a whole. Two individuals, a unity. The colleagues smiled with pleasure at this odd duet, although they behaved like an old married couple sometimes. They often heard this and similar innuendos. But at the same time their deep friendship was also admired. Their partnership stood for steadfast trust, mutual understanding and deep respect for the other one. In what trouble one would be, the other would never let him down.

It was like a bond, a bond based on respect and trust and didn't end in a one-way street. A broad smile spread across Starsky's face. Whatever would come, for nothing in the world he would replace Hutch for a new partner.

From the corner of his eye he saw Hutch rummaging in his trouser pocket, obviously looking for his pocket watch.  
"We still have enough time, no need to worry about; you're not going in this week-end without money." He calmed down his hyperactive partner.

The Detectives reached the corner of Wilshire Blvd and Highland Ave and Hutch gave out a loud groan.

"Oh please no… traffic jam… that's all I need for today!"

"Hey Hutch, calm down! If you need the money so badly, I may lend you some for the weekend and…"

"Stop it Starsky! Let me out of the car here and I'll run the rest on foot. Try and find a parking lot somewhere and I'll meet you at the front door of the bank. Don't find any excuses this time, be there just in time!"

Starsky was barely able to stop the car as Hutch already opened the door and jumped out.

"Hutch wait! What about…"

But instead of an answer he heard his friend slamming the door and running away on the sidewalk in full speed.

"Oh, great Hutchinson. And _**I **_am to blame again!"

The dark-haired man shook his head with a sigh, looked into the outside mirror and joined again in the traffic.

"And now, where shall I find a parking lot? It is Friday afternoon and half the town is in movement. Maybe I should switch on my blue mars light, show my badge and say: _'Sorry, Sir, I'm a police officer and I need this parking lot for my friend, because he is standing in front of that close bank door and is waiting for me!'_ Terrific partner, I can't believe it!"

After ten minutes of been caught up in traffic jam and after driving twice around the block he finally found a free place square by the bank directly over the street. Quickly he drove the Torino into the free parking lot and put the gear on P. Starsky looked at his watch. Nearly 4:15p.m.

He knew Hutch was a good runner. So if he had made it just in time, he should be in the bank now. So he would have enough time to go to the other side of the street to the kiosk and buy himself a coke.

'_Okay, Hutch, now it's your turn! I'm just in time, and I'm waiting!'_

He jumped out of the car and ran over to the other side of the street. Ahead of him a maybe twelve-year-old boy ordered himself an ice-cream.

"Hi Detective, what can I do for you?" A young woman about twenty years with red-blond hair gave him her best smile. She knew the dark-haired, always in a good mood Detective from different visits at her kiosk.

"Hi, Melanie! The best what you are able to give me is a cold Coke. It's really hot today." Starsky answered with a broad grin.

"I wouldn't argue with that! It is too hot for working! A day on the beach would be exactly the right one! What do you do here at this dreadful place?"

"Waiting for my friend, like always. He went to the bank to cash his payslip. But the bank is probably already closed. He forgot it again, I was to blame for and when he comes back he'll be in a very bad mood. So once in a day I need a friendly face telling me I'm not such a bad guy!"

"Oh Detective, you are impossible! - Okay: You are such a nice guy! Is this enough?" Melanie grinned broadly. "But look you're not alone, this young man here is also waiting for somebody."

"Oh really?" Starsky raised an eyebrow and looked at the blond-haired boy. "Then we share the same fate, right? Who in your family is the black sheep and always keeps you waiting?"

"My mother! She's so forgetful! She constantly is in trouble to cash her cheque every week. She is in the bank to also fetch money there."

The boy with the ice cream turned around and two hazel brown eyes looked at Starsky. "Your friend is as forgetful as my mother!"

Starsky laughed.

"You are right! What's your name, young man?"

"Nathaniel. But everybody just calls me Nat. Only my mother calls me Nathaniel when she's angry with me"

"Oh, I know what you're talking about! My mother also called me with my full name, especially when I didn't do my homework! _'David Michael Starsky', she said 'You take me to the grave some day'_!"

"Perhaps we share the same mother, don't we?

Nat ran his hand over his short very fair hair and giggled. "But don't tell it to _**my**_ mother!"

"I give you my word, Nat" He passed a hand to the boy,

"Nice to meet you! My name is David Starsky, I'm a police officer from Metro, and if I don't fetch my partner at the bank soon I'm a very dead policeman!"

"If you see my mom, tell her I'm still waiting for her and that she has promised me to go with me to the cinema. This is the last day of our holiday trip and therefore I was allowed to want something." He pointed with the hand to a small camper.

"During the last three weeks we drove trough the country, it was all fun! But now, mom has to go back to work and I back to school but I want to stay here much longer, it's nice here, the beach and all the funny cars, like this one!" He pointed at the stripped Torino and giggled again, "Never saw such a funny car!"

"Be careful, Nat, this is _**my** _car you're talking about. Think my partner and you would fit well. None of you knows how to appraise my car." Starsky noticed that the boy winced. He knelt down and rested his hand on Nat's shoulder. "Maybe you should take a test run and then you would agree with me that this is the best car in the whole wide world!"

Nat's eyes grew bigger.

"Wow that would be cool! I hope my mum will allow it."

"Sure she will. Now tell me…"

Starsky glanced at his watch and then at the still lonesome doorway of the bank, 4:30p.m. Nobody had shown up for the last twenty minutes.

'_O.K._, he thought,' _Today is Friday; maybe there's a lot of work to do. But which cashier works voluntarily overtime on Friday afternoon?'_

Starsky looked back to Nat.

"Tell me, how long is you mother in the bank?"

Nat looked at him in surprise, his brown eyes flashed worriedly, "About twenty minutes, why? Is something wrong?"

'_You can't fool this boy'_, Starsky thought, _'Think about what you're saying!'_

"Surely not! Probably it's only very crowded in the bank and so your Mom has to wait longer than usual. I will look what lasts there so long, o.k.? You wait for me; maybe you order yourself one more coke?" Starsky passed some coins to the boy and tried to suppress the bad feelings in his stomach.  
_  
'And I will look what took them really so long.'_

"Take care of this young man, will you." He said to the young woman in the kiosk, "I'll be back soon."

He rose again and turned around to run over the street but Nat held his arm firmly, his hand ice-cold. "Mr. Starsky, I don' like to stay here alone. Let me come with you, I'll cause no trouble" His big brown eyes fixed him. "Maybe something happened there inside and then I can help you!" Starsky sighed quietly, he wanted to avoid exactly this, but then he had an idea.

"Listen to me Nat, I only want to make sure that everything is o.k. with your mother! But you can do me a favor. If I'm not back again in ten minutes from now, you go to my car. It's unlocked, so you take the radio and announce yourself with Zebra 3; officer needs help at the First National Bank at Wilshire Blvd corner of Sycamore Ave. You know how a radio unit works?"

"Sure Sir, I learned it in school. But what if…"

"No 'what if', you stay here with this nice lady and after ten minutes you make the call and then you come back to stay with Melanie again. You got that?!" He nodded to the young shop assistant and she answered his glance with a nod. Starsky' voice became a little more strictly although he didn't want to fear the child.

"Yes Sir, understood!" Nat nodded but looked very unhappy and sad.

'_Oh man Starsky, you're not in the army here! This is a child you're talking to!'_

"Nat, I didn't want to shout at you, but it's very important that you do what I told you," Starsky knelt in front of Nat, his voice very quite now. "And don't call me Sir, I'm David. I bring your mum back, I promise."

_'And my never-just-in-time-partner, too'_

"Be careful, S… ah David and don't forget what you promised, the ride with you funny car!"

Starsky hugged him briefly and smiled at the boy to cheer him up. But he was only partially successful._ 'Be careful'_' Hutch said this sentence constantly like a mother's hen to her child. Time the child became an adult! Nat observed the Detective running over the very crowded street and slowly went down the sidewalk.

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Starsky took a deep breath.

'_What could possibly happen?__ Probably nothing at all! Your protector instinct simply is going nuts!'_

But not if it comes to Hutch. His instincts saved both of their lives countless times. And there it was again, this invisible bond between him and Hutch; if one was in danger, the alarm bells rang on the other one. On the other side he knew exactly that if he would act rashly now Hutch would face him with a wide grin on his face shaking his head.

_'In which trouble have you brought us again now Blintz?'_

_'Starsky, calm down, don't think with your belly first, use your head! What can I do? Run into the bank with a full use of weapons and frighten all people to death?'_

Starsky felt with his left for his.38 under his right armpit and shook his head.

_'Not a good idea! Think of something better!'__'Switch on your clumsy brain!'_ He could hear Hutch's admonishment.

_'We're not in the jungle here!' 'Sure, not in the jungle of Vietnam, but in the big-city jungle of Bay City!'  
_

It doesn't matter in which jungle he was, he could always count on his instincts!'

Resolutely he walked to the bank, but there was still this vague feeling in his stomach. In the bank the lights were still on, but the curtains didn't move yet, everything was as quiet as always. Tentatively Starsky shook the front door, it opened without a problem. Starsky let out a deep breath.  
_  
'Everything's only imagination! Relax and calm down again!'_

Slowly he went through the entrance area and suddenly everything happened in slow-motion. Starsky saw Hutch standing with his back to him. For any reason the blond man's head flew in his direction and what he saw in his partner's eyes scared him to the innermost part.

It was pure fear.

The same moment he knew that something went wrong, terrible wrong. From the corner of his eye he saw a shape of a man, carrying a gun. Spontaneous his hand went to his own weapon but he knew that this time he would be too slow.  
But he didn't count on his partner.  
He heard a shrill scream and saw Hutch turning around and jumping directly in the line of fire. His face white as a sheet he looked at Starsky with his sky-blue eyes.

_'Not this time, partner! I won't allow it again!'' 'What are you doing? Are you crazy?'_

He heard the roar of a gun saw the muzzle flash and heard the unmistakable noise of a bulled hitting a human body. He saw his friend's body was flung around and hit the ground like a puppet without strings. He heard the gun a second time, felt a murderous blow on his left temple and then only darkness.

He didn't see a young woman with auburn hair kneeling at his partner's side and holding the limp body in her lap. He also didn't hear the loud shouts and the roaring that broke out like a thunderstorm. The last thing he thought was why he didn't trust his instincts this time.

'_Bad timing, Starsky, very bad timing!'_

_**TBC**_


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"Don't worry Nat; David will be back in a second." Melanie patted the boy's arm, but she didn't want to believe in her own words. Nat looked at his clock, six minutes had past. He promised it to Starsky; he wouldn't follow him. The Officer impressed him; it never happened that an adult apologized to him. Except his Mom, she did it. He was not used in trusting adults. His own father had beaten him up always when he didn't expect it. It was because he was too late for lunch or only from nothing but fun. His mother pressed charges against her husband. He was condemned and put into prison and Nat didn't see his father for two years until now and he regretted no day of it.

Now Nat was here, scarred to death and waiting for his mother to come back. He observed the front door, paid attention to every movement or every shade that maybe pointed. Suddenly he heard the backfire of a car, and then one more.

Two, within seconds?

There couldn't be so many at the same time!

A shudder ran down his spin; as if he was in trance he ran forward, not hearing Melanie's calls.

Then he saw that the windows of the bank were darkened, the curtains were tightened and the light in the bank went out. Nat couldn't wait any longer, without looking to the left or to the right he ran over the street to the red Torino.

Without looking long he reached for the radio and pressed the radio button. "This is Zebra 3! Officer needs back up, immediately! "

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"Thank God! Still open!" Hutch breathed deeply, tore open the entrance door and ran through theentrance into the switch range.

He was not the only one, who had to fetch money still in last minute. Ahead of him stood a young woman and an older lady, beside him two other customers were waiting in a row. The bankers were especially hasty, but, nevertheless, it let the way only slowly.

When the older woman was in the row, Hutch impatiently looked at the clock on the wall. _'_

_Starsky will kill me if this lasts even longer here!'_

He could take one unslept Starsky; but a hungry _**and**_ furious Starsky was too much for him!

"Excuse sir, but you can also come to me." The lady at the counter waved him over to her counter and smiled at him. "Again a little bit too late, Det. Hutchinson?"

"As usual, Gladys. Just a typical Friday." Apologetic Hutch looked up to her and laid his crossed check on the table. "When do you expect your baby? How do you fell?" Hutch looked at the substantial grown pregnant belly of the young woman. "I believe it can't last any longer, right?"

"No it's not, thank God! Only one week and then I can stay at home, and then perhaps three weeks, then you can reach me before 7a.m!" Gladys smiled again and ran her hand over her belly. "My husband and me are completely excited!" "I believe it with pleasure!"  
The young woman smiled at him, she took the cheque, checked it briefly and then went for the computer giving in the cheque number.

"Just a moment, Sir, it only takes a minute!"

"No problem, Gladys, take your time!"

"Ma'am I need your ID to pay the money to you." The banker at the other counter looked like as if his patience soon would be over. Desperately the old lady looked in her handbag for her ID but without success.

"Lady, please, I'm off duty for about 20 minutes now..." The banker wrinkled his brows.

"But I know that it's here somewhere." The old lady still rummaged around in her bag.

"Maybe I can help you?" Hutch smiled and stepped up to the old lady. Now he was already too late, so it didn't depend on a couple of minutes any more. He took the bag and emptied the contents on the table.

All kinds of different things fell out, but no passport. "Oh God, it must be here somewhere!" The old lady cried out, "Without my passport I don't get my pension paid and it's a week-end!"

"Oh yes, I know what you mean!" Hutch laughed in understanding.

"Let me have a look. Maybe I can find it. I always find things in my sons' schoolbag!" The young woman with the auburn hair took the bag and searched a little more exactly for the passport. Within a short time she found the stubborn passport and passed it to the older lady.

"There it is!" The old lady exclaimed enthusiastically and gave the young woman a firm hug and also hugged the surprised Hutch firmly. "You have saved my day!"

"So let us hope that you all will save **our** day."

A sharp voice behind them let Hutch look up. He heard the familiar click of a released gun. "We interfere only reluctantly, but if you would be so friendly and raise your hands. Then everybody please go over to the other side."

Suddenly three completely black dressed men with their faces covered with white harlequin masks stood in the counter area, all fully armed. The leader of the gang walked over to Hutch and pushed the old lady away by holding his gun against her neck. The old lady stared at Hutch, pure fear in her eyes, her lower lip trembling. A quiet sobbing escaped out of her throat.

"Oh God, oh my God..."

"Calm down lady," the young woman reassuringly laid both arms around the scared woman's shoulders and furiously stared at the thug, "It's not necessary to upset her. Certainly she will do nothing to you."

Her now deep brown eyes met Hutch's sky-blue ones.

'_What happens now? I heard you are a cop, do something or we're dead'!_

Hutch indiscernibly shook his head. ' _'It's too early! We need a plan. Calm down and look after the lady.' _

Slowly Reeba nodded her head,accompanied the old lady and reassuringly talked to her.

"Hey Ma'am, I know you're afraid, but you have to calm down! Nothing will happen, so what's your name, lady?"

"My granddaughter always calls me 'Granny'." The lady sobbed. "You could be my granddaughter too... you would like to call me Granny?"

"With pleasure!" The young woman smiled back, "I'm Reeba, Reeba Hunter!"

The other thugs pushed the remaining hostages and Hutch to the other side. They all sat down on the ground, Hutch could feel that the leader observed every movement of him, he could feel his eyes resting on him and it made his skin crawl.

This man was dangerous.

The leader positioned himself in front of the group and his look went through the rows, the gun still pointing on the hostages. "You", he pointed the gun to Gladys. "You come with me and open the safe deposit, and I probably don't need to say: No tricks."

"Sir, listen please. As you can see this woman is pregnant. I know the combination, too. I'll go!" The young cashier rose up and wanted to step forward, but the leader stopped him immediately raising his gun against him.

"No step further, don't play the hero here! I said she has to go, so she goes. I warn **you**, I also shoot at pregnant women if you have to play superman. Have I expressed myself clearly?!" The robber looked at every single one and immediately everybody knew that he made no jokes. Gladys took a deep breath.

"Everything's all right, Martin; I think I can do that. Stay where you are, then nothing will happen." Gladys rose slowly and suppressed a sobbing. With unsteady steps she went to the room followed by two robbers.

"You pay attention that no one does something stupid. And I want to hear no gunfight, understand?" The leader grabbed his chum at his sleeve. "Watch out and then we are out in a wink."

"Yeah! That's okay, Cole. But hurry up."

The criminal leaned against a counter and looked at the hostages with a smug grin. "I'm sure; we will have all a lot of fun with each other, right?"

Hutch's brain worked at full speed. He had to find a possibility to detain the criminals. The young woman beside him prodded at him.

"What shall we do? Any ideas?" She whispered quietly.

"I'm working on it. For the time being, we can only wait and hope our shooting-furious friend there in front keeps his nerves." Hutch didn't let the thug out of sight. "If they have everything they want, perhaps they let us go without turning it into a massacre. You have strong nerves, Lady!"

"Well….I think I fooled you… perhaps being a single mother of a 12-year old son you have to have strong nerves! – Isn't it time to introduce each other, or do the men in Bay City have no manners? My name is Reeba Hunter."

"Ken Hutchinson, nice to meet you. I only wished it would have been under other circumstances." Hutch tried to smile and looked at her a little closer. She might be early thirty, her shoulder-length, auburn curly hair shone in the sun. Her big almond-colored eyes gleamed softly; she was about 5.8 and was wearing light blue Jeans and a white blouse.

"Nevertheless, you are very brave; thank you for looking after the old lady, what's her name…Granny?"

"Yeah, it's Granny and I'm not brave, only mad. Whenever I am afraid, I become mad and now I'm really angry." Reeba tried to repeat the smile, but her eyes were filled with tears and her voice trembled. "You know…My son's waiting outside; I don't want to think about what will happen, if he suddenly..."

"Hey... sssht." Hutch enclosed her slender fingers with his hands. "Nothing will happen to him... sssht. If he's as clever as his mother, he will not do any stupidities." Reeba looked into that wonderful blue eyes and suddenly she immediately felt save in his presence.

_'Reeba, you don't know what stupidity you're doing.'_ She thought, but a rattling voice interrupted her thoughts.

"What's that all about? We're not here on a picnic! Come on, get up!" The guard shouted furiously at them. "Hey, how long will it take until you are ready there; are you counting the notes, or what?" Nervously he ran through the counter space to and fro. "I want to hear no more babbling, understand?" Furious looks met Hutch and Reeba. _' _Hutch thought_, 'Gordo, stay where you are, it's still no show time!'_

He's like a powder keg,'

He hardly thought things out when suddenly the hell broke out.

From the corner of his eyes he saw a shade in the front door, his head flew around and he looked into the completely confused face of his partner. At the same moment he saw the guard pointing his weapon at Starsky, finger at the trigger. Hutch screamed out and jumped into the line of fire. He heard the sound of a gun firing twice and felt a violent blow against his chest. His body was flung around, staggered and then fell down. His head fell aside, his eyes were searching for his partner. He saw him, lying on the ground in a heap, his head blood-flooded and motionless.

_'No, not again.' _

He felt two hands raising his upper body and felt his head gently laid on something soft. Two fright-wide brown eyes looked at him and a hand stroke the strands out of his sight.

"Now you have made me really angry!"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_'Oh God, I need air!' _

Hutch gasped for air like a stranded fish. His lungs begged for oxygen.

_'What happened? Where's my partner?'_

He felt no pain, the starting shock let his body solidify, complete insensitivity overcame him and he couldn't even move a small finger. Breathing caused him trouble; he tasted blood in his mouth. Sounds, shouts and whimpering penetrated his ear, hurried steps and furiously roared orders he didn't understand right now. He was lying on his back; his head rolled to the right side. He saw the collapsed body of his partner lying on the ground. Blood ran in streams down his face.

Hutch gave out a loud groan and tried to roll on his side. But a gargling shout escaped from his throat and cold sweat came over him as waves of pain ran through his body. All of a sudden it got clear to him what had happened: The robbery, the sudden appearance of Starsky, and then the shooting_._

_'Starsky' _

He had tried to protect him. It couldn't happen again. Not again. One and a half years ago in the police garage, Hutch had to watch helplessly, when his friend, floored by three shots, was lying on the ground, bleeding to death.

This picture would follow him probably till the grave. Now Starsky was lying again on the ground, again blood-flooded, again lifeless. Hutch closed his eyes painfully and felt with his hand at his chest. He needed his whole strength to raise his hand but it fell feebly to the ground.

The initial cold and insensitivity disappeared and Hutch was run over by a pain wave hardly to endure. He screamed out in pain, groaned and bit his lower lip in agony. His chest seemed to be aflame, his lungs worked relentlessly on doing justice to his body begging for oxygen. His body shuddered in cramps and soon lost the control of his hyperactive nervous system.

He bent over in pain. "S-Starsk…" he whispered, his voice only a breath. Groaning he fell back.

"Easy …Ken, lay still, don't move …everything is okay… just breathe. Easy now, Ken. Just relax." Shaking fingers felt for his carotid artery. A gentlewhispering voice let him turn his head. He looked in Reeba's completely scarred face, tears gleamed in her eyes.

"Now you made me really angry."

That was when Reeba realized what had happened. Just a few minutes ago she had promised her son they would go to the cinema tonight because of the end of their vacation, and now she knelt on the ground, holding the shaking body of a badly wounded man in her lap. And when she didn't do anything against it, this injured man would bleed to death. She had watched Hutch jumping like a flash into the line of fire to protect the dark-haired man who had suddenly appeared. Now this man lay only ten feet away on the ground, probably with a bulled in his skull. In the following chaos Reeba had simply worked without thinking and had caught Hutch's unsteady body. Now the detective was lying in her lap starting to tremble uncontrollable.

_'Reeb, you're a nurse, pull yourself together. You know how to deal with something like that. The man is dying, so do something!' _

In a hurry Reeba felt for his pulse at the carotid artery; it was there, weak like a fluttering bird and too fast.

_'He's in shock! Stop the bleeding!'_

Reeba winched herself out of her blouse without changing Hutch's position, glad she also wore a T-shirt. From her position she couldn't examine the wound, but it was bleeding a lot and so it was clear that this wound was life-threatening. She crumpled up the blouse like a ball and pressed the cloth firmly on the wound, so that Hutch squealed and arched in pain. He found Reeba's right hand and dug his fingernails in her palms.

"Oh God… please… _**stop it**_!"

"Easy Ken, everything is okay. I know that hurts. But I have to stop the bleeding… Take deep breaths."

"Bleeding…? W-What…"Hutch raised his head and looked at his blood soaked chest. "'m so cold…" He slurred and his head fell back. Reeba bent down to Hutch, so that he could see her face and this time she couldn't suppress her tears. Hutch's body was shaken by convulsions. Desperately Reeba looked up and shouted furiously.

Damn, I need a cover, a jacket, anything, he's dying." "SHUT UP!" A voice bellowed out and the leader of the gang stood directly in front of her, aiming the gun. "Nobody touches this man! We're not the Salvation Army". He pointed with the gun at Reeba and then with a head movement on the guy who shot. "Rick, are you mad? I clearly said: _No _shots! - How shall we escape now, unnoticed? What is if somebody has heard these shots? In two minutes this place is floated by cops, you idiot! – Come one, shut the doors, and close the curtains and switch of the damned light! - MOVE!" "But I thought he would be..." "Who said that you shall _think_? Move your ass, you fool. - And you there, I said _shut up_!"

The soft whimpering and yelling of the other hostages died down suddenly.

Deadly silence.

The leader ran his hand through his hair. His oh so ingenious plan burst like a soap bubble. Now he needed a plan B as fast as possible. He turned round to Reeba and bent over the bleeding man. He raised the jacket with the gun and whistled through his teeth.

"**Wow**! A bad hole, didn't know, that Rick was such a good marksman..." He looked at Reeba grinning. "Don't worry, it won't last long! - Oh what do we have here?" The criminal discovered Hutch's holster and his Magnum. He reached for the gun and pushed it in his waistband. "I could swear..." He started to scan Hutch and searched his trouser pockets.

"What do you think you will find? An atom bomb? The man will do you no more harm, you have provided it, you damned bastard!" Reeba exploded, only hindered by the weapon, which was pointed against her head, to rush towards Cole. Her eyes sprayed poison with anger; but the leader smiled at her icily and hit her with his hand in the face.

"Never call me bastard again, you slut! My name is Cole, Mr. Cole for you! Just one word and you can keep company with your friend, you understand?" For one moment, an attack of pure hatred overcame him. He took a swung and kicked Hutch in the left side. This time Hutch's agonizing scream died down in a gargling coughing fit; his lungs, laboriously searching for oxygen, refused almost completely their work.

"You damn pig!" It slipped out of Reeba, fighting hard to calm Hutch's violently shaking body. Sweat ran in streams down the blond man's face. His whole body shook in pain and a beginning shock. Reeba murmured reassuring words into his ear. She wasn't sure the injured man could hear them or not.

Cole giggled. "Like a wildcat, the little one, right?" He continued to search and finally found what he was looking for. He pulled a brown wallet and a badge from the hip pocket. Cole opened it and grinned broadly. "Detective Sergeant Kenneth Hutchinson, Bay City Policy Department. So, there we have a real cop in here! I wonder why you tried to play the bullet catcher here."

Without waiting for an answer he went over to the dark-haired man who still lay lifeless on the ground, and searched in his pockets too.  
"As f I didn't know it… one more cop! Detective Sergeant David Michael Starsky! What a coincidence!"He kicked the man in his side and the injured man gave out a quiet groan and bent over in pain. "Well… he's still alive! Then we do everything for the fact that it remains so! These two will be our free flight into freedom!"  
_  
'It couldn't get better at all,_' he thought fiercely, _' you both will pay for the fact that we have to stick together here, but we will have a lot of fun with each other!'_

"You two bring these cop pigs back to the others. Move!"

His chums muttered something incomprehensible and trotted over to Starsky and took him under the armpits to carry him away. But suddenly life seemed to come back to the exhausted body. With the last strength that was left him he extricated himself from the grip of both criminals, fought against them and managed to kick the men away.

"Leave me ... leave me alone.... Oh god... my skull... I'm getting sick!" Starsky curled up and vomited, his aching head covered with both hands.

Starsky thought his skullcap would burst like a volcano.

Colored lights danced in front of his eyes, his vision was fuzzy. Everything became blurred, and violent blinking caused only a raising feeling of sickness in him. Starsky groaned out loud and struggled to get on his knees, but a wave of nausea and dizziness ran over him and he fell back on the floor again, as a beetle on the back. He had the feeling as if his head was twice as big as before, piercing pain in his temple changed into a continuous hammering. Starsky gasped, closing his eyes. His fingers felt for his temple and felt clotted blood that covered the left side of his face. Starsky groaned once again tried to get on his feet and opened his eyes a gap. A blurred figure bent over him, a hand reached in his thick curls and tore back his head.

He heard a malicious giggling. "I call this fighting spirit, Sergeant Starsky! Nevertheless, this application has to be honored, or?" With a head movement he ordered his chums to come down from Starsky. With crossed arms and a sardonic grin on the face, Cole watched how Starsky had a try again coming back onto his feet panting and swaying and staggering forwards. Starsky wiped the blood out of sight. 

_'What happened?'_ It shot through his fuzzy brain, _'Who is this scum, and why is there so much blood? _Fragments of memories came over him.

The bank, the shots, a cry... Hutch on the ground...

_'Hutch!__Where is Hutch?'_

Starsky got back on his feet and supported himself with his hands. His blurred look wandered through the room and finally discovered his friend's body lying in the lap of a young woman with auburn hair.

"H-Hutch. _**No**_…"

Starsky stammered quietly and tripped half creeping half sliding to his friend. Eventually he managed it and knelt down beside Hutch. He took his pale face in his shaking hands and softly strokes his cheeks. He saw the bloodstain that spread out on Hutch's light blue shirt and what seemed to become bigger minute by minute

"OH my God…Hutch…. Can you hear me? Please tell me you're okay…open your eyes…You silly guy, why did you do this, mh? You're not superman, you're not bulletproof!" Hutch's eyelids fluttered open and followed the sound of the familiar voice. His sky-blue eyes, clouded with pain and the sickness of blood loose and shock, met Starsky's indigos.

His lips moved but his voice was only a toneless whisper.

"D-David...I… I'm…s-scared."

One single tear escaped out of his eye and rolled over Starsky's hand.

A cold shudder ran down his spine and his stomach cramped.

_'David... he calls me David. He has _**never ever**_ called me David.' _

Hutch had been wounded before, but Starsky had never seen him so full of fear and pain like now.

"Hutch, easy, I'm here... everything's fine, just breathe, you hear me... easy, easy..." Reassuringly he let his hand glide over Hutch's forehead and shuddered when he felt the cold and the sweat. Again Hutch trembled violently, a hard coughing fit shook him and blood ran from his mouth in thin trickles. Crying out he tried to coil up like a ball, pressing both arms protectively over his hurting chest, but piercing pain overwhelmed him, he gave out a loud groan and fell back on his back.

Starsky pressed the back of his hand against his hammering temple and suppressed an attack of raising sickness. He felt everything in front of his eyes became blurred and through his clouded brain he heard the voice of the young woman.

"Hey Detective stay with me." A slap hit his cheek. "Sit down, otherwise you fall down!"

Starsky's eyes flew up. "'M feeling great... W-what about Hutch?... How bad is it?" He supported himself with a hand and tried to concentrate on a point. He met his friends' eyes, but they didn't seem to recognize him at all. They searched around without finding him.

"I do not know. He got a bullet in his chest, this is bad enough. He is loosing too much blood." She pressed the blouse on the bleeding wound further. The material was completely become saturated with Hutch's blood. Starsky swallowed hard and tried to suppress his hammering headache with squeezed eyes.

"Oh God Hutch what shall I do now?" Starsky whispered desperately. _'I'm scared.'_ Hutch had told him.

'_So do I my friend, so do I.'_

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 3

**HI!  
If was hard work, but here is chapter 3! Many thanks to provencepuss for her fantastic beta work, I know it was a hard job, but she was gorgeous and helped me so much. Without you I never made it, thank you!**

Chapter** 3**

"**For God's sake, ****my friend needs help, damn it! If it isn't enough to have us as hostages; do you also want a dead policeman?"  
Starsky's voice somersaulted because of worry over his injured friend, ****his ****eyes ****full ****of ****anger ****and ****hate. Cole ****squatted ****in front of ****Starsky ****and ****seized ****his ****chin ****with ****thumb ****and ****forefinger.****He ****studied ****the ****outraged ****man ****like ****an ****interesting ****work of art****; ****he ****was like ****a ****wounded ****lion,** **hard to figure and dangerous****; ****he ****would ****watch him ****exactly ****and ****keep ****him on ****a ****short ****cord. ****By no he ****means ****was allowed ****to underestimate ****him.**** "****You ****listen****, pig****.**** Take care of ****what ****you ****say**. **You saw what happened to your partner. ****Do you really want someone else to get hurt?"**

**He said ****with**** an icy-cold voice ****the gun still aimed at the young ****woman ****and ****the ****other ****hostages ****who ****still crouched completely**** shocked ****on ****the ****ground ****and ****trying ****to process ****what ****had ****just ****happened.**

**Starsky's voice was only a menacing whisper as he looked in Cole's cold grey eyes. "You can have me, but let my friend go."  
"Nice try,** **but ****I****need ****you**** both to get out of here again ****and** **preferably alive!"  
"He needs help! I only want to help my friend, so whatever you want, leave him alone! If he dies, you have a dead policeman on your hands, and then no hostages in the world can help you!"  
"We will see... Come on, brings him over here, I need to concentrate, so I do without**** moaning and groaning.****" Cole looked round searching.**

"**There, in the office, everybody moves! Hurry up!" Two kidnappers herded the group in the rear part of the bank. Cole got up and stared down at Starsky. "What's with you, do you need a special invitation? Get rid of this pretty couple here.** **And you Sam, check whether there is a phone in the office and pull it out."  
Starsky breathed deeply, he had won this round. He nodded to the young woman.**

_**'He is my partner! I care about him!'**_** The look seemed to say. Starsky carefully put Hutch's arm around his neck, one arm under his shoulders and his knees and raised him slowly, like a father lifting his sick child. ****Because Hutch was several inches taller and few pounds heavier, this was not easy for him. . "Hutch, I thought your health diet would make you a little lighter! Heavens, you are as heavy as an elephant ...!" Starsky panted and gave in as a Hutch's complete weight pressed on him. ****Hutch could not suppress a scream as Starsky had to get a firmer grip a little bit.  
"I'm sorry, buddy, I didn't want to hurt you; it will soon be over. Only a few steps."**

**Starsky**** swayed by the room, staggered through the door and looked for a comfortable place, where he could lay his friend down. The young woman had run ahead and had ****a ****sofa**** moved and put the cushions ****so ****that ****Starsky ****could ****put ****his**** friend down comfortably.  
****"Ok****, ****partner****, here we are. Just ****a ****moment,**** I'll take off your jacket before you completely ruin it."**

**The real reason was to have a better look at the shot wound and to use Hutch's jacket as a blanket. With the help of the young woman they pulled Hutch jacket first over the head and then helped him out of the sleeves.**

**The procedure was painful and Hutch dropped completely exhausted onto the pillows.  
"Starsk... w-what... Oh God, it hurts....." Hutch gritted his teeth and breathed hard. Sweat trickled in streams down his forehead and cheeks. His face was ashen, his teeth chattered and his right hand felt searching for Starsky's. The young woman crouched at the head of the sofa and tried to calm Hutch down. "Sssht, everything is okay, just breathe nice and easy... easy... Ken," softly she stroked the wet hair from his forehead. "He's in shock, we need blankets!**** Press on the wound, he's losing too much, he's losing too much blood and cover him up with the jacket!" ****She got up and searched the cupboards in the small office.**

**Hutch's eyelids twitched and cracked open. His eyes wandered around in the room, his look cloudy and full of agony. Starsky was not sure whether his friend could see him clearly. Hutch's breath was spasmodic, he ached with pain.**** Starsky ****did ****what ****he ****could**** to calm ****his ****friend****, he reached for his hand and clasped it while he exercised pressure on Hutch's wound.  
"Sssht Hutch, easy... easy, look at me, everything is okay. We made it, mh? You know Hutch, I need to look at this wound immediately, this will hurt like hell."  
He heard the young woman opening cupboard doors and rummaging through the stuff, and then he heard a yell. "Thank God, a first aid kit! Sergeant, here, this will help us," she knelt beside Starsky on the ground. Starsky looked at her surprised. "Lady**, **I don't want to annoy you**, **it was great of you to look after Hutch and I can really use every help, but you think, you can manage this? Shot wounds didn't look too good, particularly not, if they are from close up..."  
"Stop talking! I'm a nurse and I have probably seen more blood and shot wounds in my life than you have."  
"I wish...," murmured Starsky in a flat voice and stroked Hutch's cheek**** absent-mindedly.  
****He knew that he could trust Reeba. Of course he was familiar with shot wounds, more than once he already had to look after the victims who had been injured after a criminal offence. But this time it wasn't stranger here; this time his best friend lay bleeding on the ground and he himself was in no better shape**. **Starsky had never been so afraid in his life, he had never felt so helpless**. **The ****young ****woman ****seemed ****to know exactly, ****what ****she ****had ****to do ****and**** she stayed ****with ****it ****completely****, besides she remained absolutely quiet.  
"David, your partner needs help, fast." Reeba touched him softly at the arm.** **She noticed that he was briefly losing his control. To see his partner full of pain, his own injury and the shock had brought him to the edge.**

**Starsky pulled himself together and looked into her hazel eyes. "Please... Help him!" He whispered with a husky voice. "I don't want to lose him!"  
"Of course I help him... "She took a deep breath, the detective controlled himself again. "I need water and towels, if possible blankets. "There is a basin over there…..and we must remove his shirt and t-shirt."  
"Water, covers, towels... you got it." Reeba turned round to Hutch. The wounded officer still seemed to be in shock, his whole body trembled, but his gaze was a little clearer. His sky-blue eyes looked confusedly at Reeba. Reeba smiled and reassuringly wiped the bangs from his forehead. "Hello! Officer! You have given to us quite a fright! How do you feel?"**

**Hutch closed his eyes against the pain and dug the teeth in his lower lip, he trembled again.  
"'M so...c-cold"  
****"It will get better better, Ken. But first I need to look at this wound." Hutch nodded slowly.  
"S-Starks... where..."  
"I'm here, Hutch." Starsky knelt again beside him and put a jug of full waters, a mug and some towels on the table.** **He had pressed a towel against his aching temple to stop the constantly flowing blood. He swayed a little, but he took Hutch's hand in his.  
"You gonna be fine, Hutch, just me and thee, right?"  
****"Mmmh..." ****Hutch murmured and laboriously tried ****to keep his eyes open. ****Starsky sat down on the head of the sofa and laid Hutch's head carefully in his lap. Besides, he ran his hands repeatedly over Hutch's forehead. Silently he nodded to Reeba.**

**"What's with your head, you look awful, everything all right or you need a break?" she asked carefully. "Hutch doesn't get a break... I can handle this." Starsky growled without letting Hutch out of sight.  
**_**'Stubborn guy!**_**' Reeba thought. **_**'But well, he's running on pure adrenalin, we will see how far he goes.'**_

**Reeba had washed her hands and had tied together her shoulder-length curled hair in a ponytail. She sat down beside Hutch on the sofa and breathed deeply. Her hands trembled as she opened the belt buckle of Hutch's trousers and carefully shoved up his shirt and T-shirt. Reeba gritted her teeth and held her breath. The wound looked awful.** **The ****bullet ****had ****penetrated ****below**** the ****ribs ****and ****had ****left**** a black ****hole**** which was ****ugly ****and ****bleeding ****steadily. ****Reeba**** took ****a ****towel ****and ****wiped ****the ****blood**** off, ****after ****that ****she ****cleaned ****the ****wound ****as ****carefully ****as ****possible ****with ****water. ****She heard how Hutch ground his teeth and a deep groaning came from his throat. She touched the wound warily. Hutch dug his fingernails into Starsky's forearm and tried to suppress the pain. The blood had drained from his face his respiration was level and irregular.** **Reeba laid an ear on his left breast half and listened carefully.**

**"Easy Hutch, it's nearly over now.... you're doing good... " ****Starsky kept on and on calming his friend****; he wiped the sweat from his forehead. ****Four thick notches of ****Hutch****'s fingernails were decorating his forearm now**, **showing him how much agony his friend was in.** **Starsky turned Hutch's face in his direction. "Look at me, Blondie, it's over, do you hear me**?" **Hutch closed exhausted his eyes, the unbearable pain and his partners' gentle voice lulled him, it brought him to a better place without pain and blood. "****Hey, stay with me partner,****look at me, and don't fall asleep****." Starsky hit him easily against the cheeks. ****Hutch blinked, his look cloudy and full of pain. **

**A ****new ****pain****wave ****took over ****him ****and ****his ****fingers ****enclosed ****Starsky****'s ****forearms ****once more.**** He had the feeling, as if his left breast was aflame, pain crept up his back to his shoulders. Hutch ****screamed with pain** **and doubled over.  
"God, Starsk... I ….do it any more... just hold me ...., please... hurts too much..." His voice was only a quiet whimpering. Starsky pressed Hutch's head to his chest and stroked reassuringly over the back.  
"I'm holding you, partner... I'm holding you. " **

**Hutch's shouts and begging cut Starsky to the quick and made his blood run cold.  
**_**'God Hutch, I'm sorry... I don't want to hurt you ... I'm so sorry.' **_**Reeba looked up and looked in Starsky's desperate face.  
"I must turn him over onto his side, "she whispered in a flat voice; she knew exactly that this movement would cause more tortures for the young man. "I must be sure that the bullet has really come out." Starsky clasped his friend even more firmly and turned him carefully on his uninjured side. He could feel how Hutch's eyes tense and open with fear stared at him. However, he grew tired and his head fell forwards on the chest, a single tear escaped from his eye and rolled to his cheek.**

**"Awww, Hutch...." Starsky patted his forehead pushed back the sweaty bangs and rested his forehead against Hutch's. "I'm sorry, partner, I'm so sorry." "Don't worry, David, he's sleeping now. I still need to dress the wound and this will hurt him frightfully." Reeba sighed and searched the kit for dressing material. "How bad is it?" Starsky asked quietly, his voice full of fear. Reeba looked up, uncertainly whether she should tell the full truth or not. However, Starsky's begging look gave her the certainty that he wanted to hear exactly this.**

**"The bullet has smashed one or two ribs, a bit of bone must have injured his left lung. I fear his lung has collapsed. So he is having difficulty with breathing. I hope the bullet has caused no additional internal bleeding; I haven't seen an escape wound, so the bullet is still somewhere. We must try to stop the bleeding and he must not move. Raise him a little, so that I can better bandage him up." Reeba laid several packs and gauze bandages as an additional compression on the wound, then she wrapped several bandages firmly around Hutch's chest. "If we lay him on the side, he can breathe easier."**

**Starsky laid some pillows behind Hutch's backs and tried to make it as comfortable as possible for him. In the end he took off his own leather jacket and covered him with it. "Will he make it?" He asked quietly, his fingers stroked Hutch's sweat soaked hair.  
"I hope so, at the moment we can't do any more for him than to keep him warm. He's still in shock." Starsky nodded slowly, when he looked up, the old lady, Granny, was standing in front of him and she passed him her thin summer coat.  
"Here, it's not a lot, but I have seen how much he was shivering. I feel so sorry for your friend; he's such a nice boy." Granny shook her head sadly and wiped away a tear.  
"Yes Ma'am he is." Starsky swallowed. "Thank you Ma'am."  
"You pay attention to your friend. It looked as if he wanted to protect you."  
**_**'Yes, as he always does. Watching my back.'**_**  
"I'll do that Ma'am, thank you!" Starsky took the coat and covered Hutch carefully with it.  
"You damned idiot, why did you do this?"**

**He suddenly felt his legs got soft like rubber and everything turned in front of his eyes. "Hey, officer, everything's OK? You look like a ghost, sit down." Reeba's gentle quiet voice let him look up.  
**_**'Maybe not a bad idea,' **_**Starsky thought tiredly and allowed Reeba to guide him softly to the ground with his back to the sofa.  
"Let me examine your head... Feeling of sickness... Dizziness... headaches?"  
"Sometimes…, yes…, constantly…, doctor!"  
"No doctor, only nurse, my name is Reeba, Reeba Hunter. May I call you David or you prefer 'Officer Starsky'?" she smiled.  
"David is fine. - Now sister Reeba, which is you the Reeba on the left or the one on the right?"**

**"The one sitting directly in front of you, you fool! Let me see!" She touched carefully the deep gash on Starsky's temple.  
"Wow! You can be glad that your skull is so hard. The bullet only touched you; you probably have a bad concussion. You are lucky, you could have been killed!" Starsky sighed and looked at his hands; they were still covered with blood. Hutch's blood.  
"Well I likely would be, if this idiot of a partner... "He fell silent, and could not suppress his quiet sobbing. "God, it was my fault... if he dies...then..." Starsky stared again at his bloody hands and tried frantically to wipe the dry blood away. A cold shudder grasped him and then he suddenly broke down completely. The adrenalin rush was over. He buried his head in his hands and began to cry uncontrollably.**

**For a long moment Reeba was absolutely stunned when she saw the outwardly tough detective crying, however, then she took him in her arms and rocked him carefully like a small child.  
"Hey, everything is ok... was not your fault... Ken won't die... sssht." In her job she often saw people weeping. But never a man who desperately weeping over his best friend like Starsky just did. Reassuringly she rubbed his back and consoled him, until eventually the sobbing and shivering stopped.  
"I'm sorry about this... I'm behaving like a kid." Starsky energetically wiped away the last tears from the face. "You have suffered a serious head injury and shock; there's nothing for you to be ashamed of. ****You can be scared, too! "  
She smiled now and cleaned his wound. "Anyway, I am used to men having a good cry with me!" **

**Starsky stared at ****her in confusion. "Especially one man who always makes use of it...if he comes home with bad marks from school again!" She laughed briefly but suddenly her eyes widened. **

"**Oh God, Nat... he'll be scared to death... He's waiting outside the kiosk; I told him I'd be right back... we wanted..."  
"To go to the movies, I know! I have met him outside. Blond hair, brown eyes, 12 years old?" ****Reeba nodded and Starsky told her about the agreement with her son. "With a little bit of luck the cavalry would be just around the corner and the whole hubbub has ended.**** Nat is a great boy... like his mother!" He looked in her deep-brown eyes and pressed her shoulder.**

**"You are very ****strong; anyone else would go to pieces, but not you." "I am used to it, this is a part of my job, my life... ****people are always cracking up – you two are no exception," ****Reeba tried to grin. For the moment her son was safe, this was the most important thing. One thing at a time, one step after the other.  
"You and your friend... you have known him for a long time?" Starsky nodded and got up. He took his old place at the head of the sofa again. "****We met at the academy,**** nearly ten years ago. He is the best friend I ever had. He watches my back and so do I. We are like The Musketeers, all for one and one for all! Only this time this mad guy has taken it too literally."**

**Tender****ly he stroked some blond strands of hair of Hutch's too pale face.  
"He is like a big brother. He is my other half, my soul, my other me. If he dies... then something … of me dies, too." Helplessly he looked in Reeba eyes and saw a lot of understanding and love there. "David... don't say things like that. He will make it, but now he needs you." Her slender fingers ran through his thick curly head. "We made this together! Like The Musketeers!" Starsky gave Reeba a weak smile and thanked God for the fact that he had provided this strong woman. **

**Somebody was watching over them. **

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO **

**A storm was brewing over the police headquarters of Bay ****City. It was not however a cleansing thunderstorm that let the heavy sultry air disappear, but rather a stormy hurricane which unloaded itself directly in the office of Captain Harold Dobey. ****The weighty swarthy man sat at his desk and roared so loud in the phone so that all present officers could understand every word in the neighboring squad room.**

"**Why am I the last person who knew anything about it?" The dispatcher at the other end of the telephone line just experienced his personal Waterloo. "Excuse me, sir, but I worked exactly according to regulation..."  
"Oh Gosh!!! Shut up, will you? Since exactly **_**when **_**did you know something about regulations? If everybody here worked according to regulations, I could close my office immediately!" Dobey took a deep breath and then continued in a quieter tone. "When did Detectives Starsky and Hutchinson last check in?"  
"This was about 2p.m. Sir, I have tried ..."  
"You should not only **_**try **_**it, you should **_**do**_** it! Why didn't you inform me directly, instead of...? Oh forget it!"**

**With ****anger ****he ****banged the receiver on the innocent phone and ran his fingers through the hair. Two of his detectives were missing for more than four hours and he was the last person who heard about it. It ****didn't ****even ****make**** things easier, ****that ****the ****missing detectives ****were ****his ****favored ****duo ****Starsky ****and ****Hutchinson. He ****often ****criticized ****their mode of operation and ****sometimes**** they could irritate ****him ****to the ****blood****; but they succeeded and only that counted. What he particularly admired at them was their deep friendship, without ifs and buts. They trusted each other blindly and kept each others back free.**

**It couldn't be good if they both simply disappeared in such a way without checking in or were not reachable. He was sure: One day they would be the death of him. Finally, he found out from dispatcher where their last call was. ****He was going to put up the receiver ****and send a patrol car when the phone rang.  
"Dobey here... what, bank robbery? This is the homicide department; turn to Lieutenant Robbins... like what? You're… oh, yes, of course Lieutenant, what can I do for you?" Dobey listened in silence a long time, he wrinkled his forehead.**

**"Detective Starsky? Of course I know ****him; he's one of my men... Let me speak to the boy."  
"Hello? Whom am I speaking to?" asked a youthful voice.  
"I'm Captain Dobey Metropolitan Police, son. Tell me everything you know about Detective Starsky."  
And now Dobey found out everything about the meeting with Starsky, the agreement immediately to call the police and the doubtful assault. "And you are sure that he said 'Starsky'?"  
"Of course sir, he drives a red Ford Torino and he became really cross when I insulted his car."  
"Oh yes, that's Starsky... OK what about his partner, Detective Hutchinson, was he with him?"  
"No sir, he said, his partner was in the bank getting some money. Exactly like my mother, she's still in the bank. But, nothing happened to her, or?"**

**Dobey could hear the fear in the boy ****voice. "Nat remain where you are, I'll be there in fifteen minutes, you understand?"  
"Yes sir." Dobey hung up and breathed deeply. Then he called his wife Edith, explained to her that he would too late for dinner again and was five minutes later he was on the way to the First National Bank. **

**"Anything**** new from the bank, Lieutenant Robbins?" Short of breath Dobey stood in front of the leader of the SWAT squad and wiped away the sweat of the forehead with a handkerchief. It was still around 95F and the air was muggy waiting for a storm.  
"No sir, absolute silence. We have tried it by telephone and also with the megaphone; no answer. They are playing cat and mouse with us."  
"Yes... and Starsky and Hutchinson are the cheese." grunted Dobey and looked with binoculars at the front of the bank. Nothing to see yet, the curtains did not move. "Here this is Nathaniel Hunter, he called us." Robbins pointed to the blond-haired boy sitting on the kerbside by a black and white and nervously played with his necklace.**

**"Hello Nathaniel,**** I'm Captain Dobey, Starsky's superior." Dobey passed a hand to the distraught boy. "Tell me, are you sure that you have heard two shots, it wasn't a car door or a backfire?" Nat energetically shook his head.  
"No Sir, I'm sure, not two times one after the other. And afterwards all lights went out in the bank and nobody comes out. Did I make a mistake? David told me, I needed to get help to use the radio..."  
Nat looked at him with big brown eyes.  
"You did everything right, and have paid attention. We don't want to endanger your mother needlessly, do you understand?" Dobey knelt before the boy and pressed his arm.**

**"Everything****'s ok, we'll get your mother out there, promised!" He looked to Robbins. "Take him to the department, someone will look after him."  
"No I'll stay here! Please, Sir, don't send me away... I promised to wait for my mother... and for David... he wanted to drive with me in this mad car!" Dobey sighted, reluctantly he nodded his head. "But you stay put, no extra tours, understood?" Nat smiled at him him.  
"Yes, sir, of course!"**

**"OK! - Robbins, ****listen I don't want to interfere with your matters, but two of my men are in this bank, if the guys find out that Starsky and Hutch are policemen, they won't live to see another day. Block off everything and hold back the men, I want no rash actions. We need to try to get in contact with them."  
Robbins nodded. "I will distribute my people on the opposite roofs. Two are there on the**** house** **and watching the door. I have also requested to the security for a police psychologist and ahm... an ambulance." Dobey nodded silently. He could only hope that this attack wouldn't end in a bloodbath with many innocent victims and Starsky and Hutch too.**

**TBC**

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter**** 4**

**The phone shrilled... again and again.  
"Dammn, Cole, pick up the phone! That jingling is getting on my nerves!"  
Rick, one of the bank robbers, ran nervously to and fro through the counter area, he looked tensely at the phone ringing over and over again.  
"Take it easy now Rick, we're keeping them in suspense. As long as we keep the tension the whole thing now, it's so much better for us. We can set the rules not that pig outside!" Cole peered through the curtains onto the street. It was deserted. Where, on normal days, hundreds of cars drove down the streets, deadly silence ruled. There were as many patrol cars, now parked in front of the bank, as there were cops out there. Several times an officer had called them via the megaphone, but Cole still thought that it was better to wait.  
He had a plan and now he was going to put into action.  
**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO  
**

**Finally Starsky gave way; tormented by stronger and stronger headaches and increasing dizziness he allowed Reeba to gently guide put him to the sofa and closed his eyes for a few minutes.  
He took his original place on the sofa again and used his thighs as a pillow for Hutch's head. His friend still lay absolutely still on his side, his left arm laid protectively over his wounded chest, the right hung down limply. His tense features became softer; however, the deep furrows on his forehead had remained. Softly Starsky tried to remove them and leaned back his head. His throbbing skull now changed into a colossal kettledrum; he squeezed his eyes against the pain.**

**"Only a few minutes… just a few minutes." He slurred. Reeba smiled and collapsed exhausted in one of the armchairs. She looked at the three remaining hostages; Gladys sat beside her in the other armchair, Granny at her side. Martin sat down on the edge of the table and rubbed the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger; he looked very nervous. The old lady also glanced at her and smiled to cheer her up.**

**"You've done a good job, darling. I wished I could help them."  
"Thank you Granny! They remind me of those children's books I read when I was a child. You know... Friends for good and forever! Unbelievable, that such a friendship does really exist." Granny nodded. "Your friends will make it. I'm sure!"  
"I hope so. - How do you feel, Gladys?" Reeba noted that the young woman was worriedly rubbing over her swollen belly. "The baby's very excited… I believe…**** I****'****m****so****terribly**** afraid ****something else will happen... Why don't they let us go?"  
"They need us as hostages, so that they get out of here but..."  
"Stop it!" Martin interrupted furiously. "If this cop hadn't walked in the bank and his friend hadn't tried to play the hero, then we would be out here again a long times ago, but now we're sitting here in a trap thanks to the both."**

**"Stop saying such nonsense! Nobody is responsible for this! It would be better..." Reeba just wanted to give vent to her whole annoyance when suddenly the office door tore open and Rick appeared in the door frame.  
"Oh, how nice, everybody sitting here together... " He banged his gun against the wall. "Now that's the end of the little whole coffee party, its show time! "His glance fell on Starsky and Hutch. "Wake, wake, Sleeping Beauties… your prince is here... "Rick brutally pushed the muzzle against the ribs of the sleeping Detective; Starsky startled, groaned and fell forward. Because of the sudden movement Hutch slid from his lap, rolled off the sofa and after a short scream he remained lying on the belly. "Hutch!" Starsky still tried to hold on his friend, but before he could make a movement Rick had already put his forearm around his throat and firmly squeezed off his windpipe****nearly choking him to death. In the other hand he held his gun which he now pointed at the scared hostages.**

**"Now in your situation I wouldn't move, cop!" He whispered in Starsky's ear. "Otherwise, you're joining your partner! Come on, get up and don't even think about doing something stupid! Nothing will happen to all of you. Hands over the head and then go out!" Starsky silently lifted his arms and Rick threw him outside. During the whole time he didn't let Hutch out of sight. The door closed again and Reeba audibly drew a deep breath. With two steps she was with Hutch and fell on her knees, followed by Granny and Martin.  
"Ken …Can you hear me? Easy... everything's OK." Carefully she turned Hutch again on his back and looked in his blurry blue eyes. "Hey, you are awake... what are you doing then here lying on the floor like a bug, mh?" Hutch blinked confused, at first as he didn't know where he was. Than he recognized Reeba's face and groaned again; it wasn't a nightmare! As if in confirmation the pain in his chest also flared up again and he couldn't suppress a loud groan. **

**"Think... I-I fell... aah... h-hurts!"  
"Yes, I know... it's more comfortable on the sofa, can you make it if I help you?"  
"Don't know... want to try." Hutch bent his right forearm and tried to sit up, however sank back, again with a pain shout. "God... too much... not again..."  
"It's OK, Ken, we will carry you. Martin, take the upper part of his body, I take the legs, and Granny you hold his hands." With combined force they managed to lay Hutch back on the sofa again. "Very good! Ken, I need to check your dressings, but it will not hurt."**

**Hutch nodded weakly, he was so dreadfully tired, and every breath meant additional torture. He couldn't remember any more when breathing was quite a natural part of his bodily functions. Worriedly his eyes wandered through the room. "Starsky… where's my partner?"  
"They've taken him, I don't know why. – Hey, what are you doing? What do you think you where going to?" Hutch had tried to get up again but Reeba didn't need much strength to push Hutch back again. "****I'm in charge here now!**** Believe me; he'll soon come back again. You won't help him if your wound starts bleeding again." She examined the dressings on Hutch's chest and nodded contently.****  
"Why taken? He…he was injured..., there was so much blood…"  
His respiration got quicker, the picture of a bleeding Starsky still clearly before eyes.  
****"Your partner is as tough as you. The bullet only touched his head, it looked worse than it is. There'll be the possibility of concussion and he will still have infernal headaches for quite a while, but he will survive. It's much more important that you remain lying quietly and try not move needlessly." Reeba glided her thumb softly over his cheek, tried to calm the disturbed and scared detective. "You've got a bullet in your chest, but we were able to stop the bleeding, so stay still!" She said in her best nurse's tone.  
"I'll try ... if the couch… didn't throw…me down again!" Reeba smiled; well, he hadn't lost his humor yet!  
Hutch seemed to have calmed down a little bit; he licked over his dry lips. "May I have something to drink?" He saw the jug standing on the table and suddenly his mouth felt like the Sahara in the midday.**

**"Yes of course, wait." Reeba reached for a plastic mug full of water. "OK, Hutchinson, but slowly and not so much all at once. I don't want that you spit out everything again!" Carefully she supported Hutch's neck while he greedily drank the water. With relief he fell back on the pillow and sighed. "Thank you, that was good!" Hutch's voice had lost its croaking and his gaze was clearer. "You are a real nurse? I'm sorry, but I…. wanted to cause… no trouble…to you." He apologized with his best Poor-Boy-Look. "Yes, I'm a nurse, but there's no reason for apologies. You only wanted to help your friend. What about the pain?" "Still… there." Hutch suppressed a groan and breathed harder; a weak cough escaped from his throat and made him curl over in a ball. **

**"I can hardly…. breathe… my lungs. Something's… wrong." He was still too pale and his features hardened. **

"**The bullet or a rib has probably punctured your lung, so don't try to breathe too deeply, take small breaths, yes… that's better. You looked tired, why don't you try and sleep just a little bit."  
"Maybe ...you're right. Don't feel… so good... tired.... "Hutch murmured his eyes darkened. Exhausted he tried to roll on his side and snuggled up to Reeba.  
"I'm so… c-cold..."  
"Yes, I know." Reeba tried to warm him up with her own body while she laid his upper part of the body again in her lap and embraced him with her arms, she could clearly feel he was shivering. Hutch relaxed for a while and fell asleep seconds later.  
**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO  
**

**Starsky was pushed roughly into the counter area and tripped against a desk. When he looked up he stared into the face of Cole who had taken off of his mask. The kidnapper was around forty years old, strongly built, had very short, deep brown hair and was more than five inches taller than Starsky.  
"Ah, Detective Starsky, as I see you made a fine recovery. Now you are here, perhaps you would like to know what I want you to do for me, right?" Cole's cold grey eyes fixed on Starsky. "I warn you, cop, no funny games, understood? **_Do_** exactly what I tell you to do and** _speak_**only when I tell you to speak."  
Starsky nodded, although he actually didn't know** **what ****Cole wanted**** him to do****. "You and your partner got us into a lot of trouble. What are you doing here in the bank?"  
"My partner needed money." Starsky answered short. "****I hate to disappoint, but in no way did we want to disturb you here, even if you believe in something else. ****That's not how we visualized our weekend!"**

**"You always play the clown, right?" Without advance warning Cole hit Starsky's face with his fist. The amazed officer flew backward on the floor and gasped for air. A shade fell on Starsky, a specific crude kick in the right kidney prevented his effort to get back on his feet. Starsky doubled over, he tasted blood in his mouth, and his skull was ready to explode. With the back of the hand he wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth and saw Cole standing beyond him like the archangel Gabriel, swinging his fists threateningly.  
"Only speak when I say you can!" Cole grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him to his feet. Then he gripped Starsky's hair and jerked his head back. He directed his weapon against Starsky's forehead and said in an icy tone, his eyes focused on his victim: "Only one word... Give me only one lousy reason and your friend needs a new partner." Pure insanity flashed in his eyes.**

**Starsky blinked briefly, the grasp on his mop of hair softened and his head shot up. Starsky panted, tried to find again his balance.  
"So, now that things are clear, we can get to the important things. Are you ready to listen to me NOW?" Very suddenly the dangerous flickering in his eyes had disappeared, as it had been switched off.  
**'_This man is completely mad_,'** Starsky thought.** _'Mad and dangerous, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.'**  
**_**He protected his pounding flank with a hand and tried to bridle his bubbling rage. "I hear." He said briefly.  
"Very nice... If this phone rings again you pick up the receiver." He pointed with the head in the direction of the desk. "You tell them that everybody is OK and then transmit only exactly what I say to you now."**

**"And that would be what?"  
"One millions dollars in unmarked notes, a getaway car, and all that in two hours." Was the brief answer. "If your boss doesn't accept these demands, we shoot a hostage every half an hour." He stepped closer to Starsky and whispered in his ear: "And we will start with your partner!" He smiled disdainfully." Should it be necessary we continue with your girlfriend and in the end we will blow up the bank!" To prove it he opened his left hand. A small black box lay in his palm. An ignition device. "There's dynamite everywhere in the bank. One squeeze on the button and already everything blows up! You see we have nothing to lose. If your boss tries to storm the bank once it makes boooommm... and only a heap of rubble and cinders remains. You understand?"  
"Loud and clear! What do I say if they want to proof that the other hostages are still alive?"**

**"No worries! We can show the evidence to them at any given time. And now, Detective Starsky, you take a seat, it won't be long. Your Captain must want you safe!" **

**Cole pushed the office chair in Starsky's direction. The detective sat down tiredly and laid both hands in his lap. He had no choice; Hutch's life and that of all the other hostages depended on him. **

**If he now made a mistake, it would end here in a bloodbath. Cole was like a powder keg that could explode at any time; the fuse was already burning. Hutch namely needed a doctor as fast as possible; he wouldn't be able to hold out for long. He hoped that he could persuade the people outside to accept the demands of the kidnappers. In the middle of his thoughts he was startled; the phone rang**

**"Don't be shy, Detective! Answer the phone! And remember: no tricks, I'll put you on the speaker." Starsky was left with nothing else but to obey, unwillingly he reached for the receiver.  
"Yes?"  
"This is Captain Dobey of the BCPD, whom am I talking to?"  
"Starsky". Deadly was silent, then he sighed deeply.  
"Starsky, is it you?"  
"Year, captain, it's me."  
"Is everything ok? Where is Hutch... is he with you?"  
"Yes, he's here… he's..."  
Cole warning lifted his finger.  
"He's..." Starsky bit his lips. "Kenneth's doing good...Listen Cap. They asked me to tell you the following things: The kidnappers want one millions dollars ransom and a getaway car. All that in two hours. If you do not agree to what they demand, they will shoot a hostage every half an hour. They'll start… with... Kenneth and in the end they will blow up the bank." A long silence followed. **

**"How many hostages are in the bank?" Starsky questioningly lifted an eyebrow and looked at Cole, then he nodded after a short hesitation...  
"Six".  
"Is that all, Dave?" **

**Starsky ran his hand nervously over his head. **

"**Yes captain, that's all. Tell Nat, that he doesn't need to worry, his mother is all right. Oh and cap, look after my three small kittens they are always so terribly nervous when they are alone and because of the weather they are certainly very hot." Once more there was small silence.  
**_'Please, cap no questions now!'_  
**"Certainly Dave, I'll take care of them. Hold out, I'll call again as soon as possible."  
"Thank you, Captain." A click on the line and Starsky hang up. Cole grinned maliciously.  
"That was very, very good Detective. Now we wait to see how fast your Captain wants you both back again and if he's ready to pay for it."**

**He gave a sign to Rick and the kidnapper grasped Starsky's collar. He pulled him back in the office, flung him in and closed the door again. Cole crossed the arms before his chest and leant back contently in his chair.  
"We will see."  
**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO  
**

**Something wasn't right. Something was not right at all.  
Dobey was sure, but he couldn't put a finger on what wasn't right. Again and again he listened together with Lieutenant Robbins to the taped conversation. He was sure that Starsky had given him a hidden instruction, although he certainty was looking in the mouth of a gun during the conversation.**  
"_Kenneth's doing good..." _**Kenneth... KENNETH?!  
He couldn't remember that Starsky had** _ever_** called his partner by his complete given name.  
Point one!  
Point two:** "_Kenneth's doing good_."  
**No, he's not doing well, Starsky wanted to tell him that Hutch was in danger, possibly injured or worse... A shiver ran down his spine and he rewound the tape once more.**

"**Captain are you sure you, that..."  
"Of course I'm sure! "Dobey barked back. "Wait... here... **"_Look after my three small kittens_, _they are always so terribly nervous when they are alone and because of the weather they are certainly very hot."_**Dobey stopped the tape and drummed with the fingers on the roof of the service vehicle. "Starsky has no pets! Certainly no cats! It must be…wait a moment... three **_kittens_**... three **_kids_**.., yes...three KIDNAPPERS, that's it! And _nervously_...** _very hot_... _alone_**... they are serious and they have no informants. They really have dynamite in the bank!" Dobey finished and hit the roof of the car with his hand.  
"Very good, Starsky, this will help us!" Robbins looked at him in disbelief. "You believe Starsky tried to tell you how many kidnappers are in the bank, that his partner is possibly injured and that there's really dynamite in the bank?"**

**He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "With all due respect... however, we should put an end to the fuss immediately... Two shells of tear gas and my SWAT-Team have everything under control!"  
"Yes and we expect a dreadful explosion, six deadly hostages and probably a lot of innocent injured and dead. And besides **_you_**can give the explain to the Commissioner, why two Detectives **_and_** a complete SWAT team died; I know Starsky as well as my own son, these tips were clear. Besides even if it makes no difference to you if **_your_**men fall apart, I want to have **_my_**men back **_alive_**! _No _rash attack and we** _wait_**. Still we have a two hour and by God, I will not allow anything to happen to my men." Dobey's eyes sparkled furiously.**

**Robbins gasped for air and suppressed the answer which he already had on the tip of his tongue. He had never seen Dobey so furious. "Well... we will see, but I warn you, by no means will I negotiate any further with these criminals. They play according to our rules or lose. There will be no escape vehicle and also no ransom payment, do you understand, **_Captain_** Dobey?" Robbins voice had taken a menacing undertone, which Dobey understood very well.  
"Yes, we will see... "He didn't follow Robbins further. "Where is this damned police psychologist when we need him?"  
A young policeman turned round suddenly and said: "He should be there long time ago, but there's someone standing on the roof of a shopping centre and threatening to kill himself..."  
"Make sure he comes** _here_**, where there's real work for him!" Dobey thundered, throwing a look in Robbins direction. The Rookie winced and disappeared.  
**_'This is going to be a damn long night'_ **Dobey thought and wiped his sweaty face with his hankie. Once again the lives of his both Detectives were at risk and he wasn't sure whether they had the luck again on their side this time.**

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 5

Hi! It has been a while, but here's chapter 5! Thanks for reading my story and the reviews...AND again a BIG hug to prov for her excellent beta work...never made it without you!!!

Chapter 5

After Starsky was brought back to the office, he low-voiced told the other hostages about the enforced telephone call and when he ended, the little room was filled with a tense silence, nobody said a word. He didn't need to tell them, that all their lives hung by a silken thread. Their only hope was that nobody outside lost his nerves and simply decided to attack the bank. No one would survive this action. Starsky desperately hoped that Dobey had deciphered his hidden tips and was glad that Cole apparently had _**not**_ understood them.

He closed his eyes in tiredness and leaned back. His head throbbed in pain and when he closed his eyes everything started to spin round him.

His stomach started to growl; for more than twenty hours he had nothing to eat, except a candy bar. But his stomach probably would have to be patient a little bit; Cole was not likely to get them something to eat. But at one point the remaining hostages would also become hungry, and maybe then there was a good chance to ask for some food.  
Starsky had left the more comfortable armchairs to the pregnant Gladys and Granny, the old lady, and crouched again on the floor with his back leaning against the sofa and his legs bent, his folded arms on his knees. Martin leaned against the wall and nervously played with his wedding ring, clearly showing frightened he was. Hutch was totally exhausted and was fast asleep, but it wasn't a restful sleep, it was filled with nightmares. Reeba who still held Hutch's head in her lap tried to soothe him and gently pushed his wet hair off his brow but the blond tossed his head from side to side and his breathing was sporadically interrupted by an intense coughing fit. He moved his lips and murmured inaudible words, until suddenly he opened his eyes wide and cried out loud.

"Starsky... **NO**!" Sweat pearls stood on his forehead, terror in his gaze. In a split second Starsky was with his completely distraught friend.  
"Hey Hutch... I'm here... calm down!" He whispered reassuringly and grasped a hand, while he changed a disconcerted glance with Reeba. Hutch wildly looked around, his gaze was out of focus; he couldn't recognize the face that bent over him. But eventually he woke up from his nightmare. With a violent move he tried to sit up, but he cried out in pain and fell back again. His right hand reached for his aching chest and with a groan he closed his eyes.  
"Hutch, you scared me, please, look at me...I'm here, **HUTCH!"** Starsky's voice became louder but his friend sunk completely into agony. He bent over in pain and groaned. Despairing Starsky gently tapped his cheeks. "Come on, partner, it's me! Don't you want to see my ugly face any more?" He tried to joke. Eventually Hutch opened his eyes and two sky-blue eyes full of fear and stared at him in confusion.  
"S-Starrs-k?"  
Hutch's voice was only a hoarse whisper; his hands fumbled for Starsky's face as if it was a ghost.

"Thank God!.... I…I thought…..you were…. dead!" He slowly shook his head, pure panic in his eyes. "But I saw you…the shot…all that blood…w-what about…your head? You're hurt…" With trembling fingers he touched Starsky's temple, feeling for the thick bandage.

'_Yeah…always worried about other people, especially about your partner, even when you are hurt!' _  
"Of course I'm not dead, you big lummox. Head feels like a bass drum, but I'll survive. You know my head's made of steel! It's not so easy to get rid of me." Starsky suddenly understood that the last time Hutch had seen him in full consciousness, he lay on the ground probably with a bullet in his skull and bleeding. His own injury, the following shock and his constant changing of consciousness might be the reason for Hutch arriving at the conclusion that Starsky was dead.

Sighing Starsky shook his head. "You are such an idiot, what am I gonna do with you, mh? Doing that stunt you almost scared me to death! What will the other people here think about you? These pretty girls hearts had almost stopped of fear. Why have you done this nonsense? If you wanted to impress Reeba or Granny, then you turned out well!"  
"Don't…be m-mad…with me. Wanted…. to p-protect…you. Not…again another…Gunther. Shouldn't be… shot a-again." Hutch said with a slurred voice and really managed a weak smile. "Hope, the girls…are not so…urious at…me l-like…you are!"  
"Oh God… Hutch..." Starsky shook his head again in disbelief and stared at the ceiling.  
Deep down in his heart he had always known that Hutch thought the attempt of Starsky's life down in the police garage was his fault. He thought he hadn't been fast enough, hadn't protected his best friend and partner and Starsky nearly had paid with his life for it.

The weeks and months after the attempt were hell on earth for both friends. For Starsky because he saw how Hutch almost collapsed because he felt guilty and for Hutch because he had to see how much pain Starsky was in. And it was useless, the endless quarrel talks and all of Starsky's tactics to persuade Hutch of the fact that he wasn't the one to blame for the attack; it had been an accident, it was just fate, no more and no less.  
"You wouldn't react differently; you would also reproach yourself if it had happened to _**me**_, wouldn't you? Don't try and talk me out of it, everything is already bad enough!" Hutch had desperately shouted, tears in his eyes. Starsky couldn't give an answer to that question.

Maybe Hutch was right.  
Maybe it's their Karma.  
Somebody's watching over me.

Once again Starsky sighed deeply and this time he saw Reeba give him an inquiring look. He would explain it to her... sometime.  
"Hutch, you're such a silly guy, do I have to constantly pay attention to you?" He seized his fingers over Hutch's right hand and surrounded them with his.  
"Yeah, w-watching my back... -like always...Starsk!" Hutch's voice was fragile, but his eyes briefly lit up and he pressed Starsky's hand. "Now… how do we look?"  
"Terrific! You have a bullet in your chest, remember? And three mad bank robbers threaten to blow us up if they don't get one million dollars plus a getaway car"  
"Wow... one million bucks...o-only…small change in the safe…deposit, Gladys, or…couldn't you change...the n-notes?"  
The cashier tried to laugh although she was still afraid. "Stop, Sergeant Hutchinson, you gave use the shock of our lives! You saved your partner's life and now you're injured. Please, don't do it again!"  
Martin nearly hit the ceiling when he overheard them talking. He was ready to say something, but Starsky's warning look reduced him to silence.

"I'm sorry ... about that, but I must look…after this crazy partner of mine, it's my job!…What… what about your baby? Is everything…ok?" Hutch asked with an alarming voice and inquiringly looked at the pregnant belly of the young woman.  
"Oh young man, pregnant women are not as breakable as eggs! Believe me! Gladys is doing fine!" Granny bent forward and gave Hutch a radiating smile. "You are the one we're worried about!"  
"No… need...to worry! Hurts only… w-when I laugh…!" Hutch hissed in pain and gritted his teeth. He shifted around on the couch to make himself more comfortable.

Reeba noticed that Hutch was in obvious pain and tried to interrupt his conversation. "Stop, you've talked enough! You're exhausted, don't try to play the clown here and don't move!" She tried it again with her You-are-such-a silly-patient-tone.  
"And if not, then you call the doctor?!" Hutch made a face, but his smile was full of excruciate pain, his sky-blue eyes locked in her almond-colored ones. "Oh... just shut up, you…" She blushed and looked away. "Oh, I'm s-sorry, just… fishing for… some sympathy!" Hutch grinned weakly, and then his gaze wandered round the room. "Very nice… here, isn't it?" Starsky followed the glances and shook his head. "Yes... no window, no fridge, a broken phone, working here must be a real punishment!"  
"It's the manager's office! " Gladys giggled quietly.  
"Oh yes, I understand!" Starsky had to laugh. "My home is my castle!"

Hutch smirked and tried to keep his eyes open, but his eyelids became heavier and heavier and he was so dreadfully tired; but he called himself to order.  
_'No, don't fall asleep again, Hutchinson, pull yourself together. Starsky can't go through this alone! You might be no big help, but Starsky needs you awake! '_  
"Hey, Starsk... what else do the guys want?"  
"Exactly what I already have told you." Starsky looked away; how should he explain to his friend the fact that Hutch would be the first one who would be shot if the demands were not fulfilled. He tried to hold it back but he failed.  
'_How can I only explain this to him?!'_  
Hutch reached out with his hand to turn Starsky's chin towards him and sadly looked into his best friend's eyes. He knew his friend for too long and too well; he exactly knew when he was concealing important things from him.  
He could see it in his eyes.

He could look into his friend's soul and read it like a book.

What he saw there stirred his heart. He couldn't tell what hurt him more, the gun shot wound in his chest or to see the desperation in Starsky's eyes. The childlike unconcern in his eyes had disappeared, now he only saw the growing pain and fear that ripped him nearly apart. He knew Starsky would rather die than sacrifice his best friend. Starsky couldn't tell him the truth about the discussion with Cole, because he just wanted to protect him.

'_Oh god Stark, why are you doing this?'_

Hutch grabbed Starsky's hand and squeezed it softly.  
"Leave it alone, don't lie to me, Starsky you're not much... of a good liar! They know that we're policemen; they will shoot us, probably **_me_ **first, right?"  
Starsky felt as if his guts turned in a knot.  
_'He read my thoughts once again!'  
_Hutch looked firmly into those familiar blue eyes and tried to suppress his own fear.  
"Hey...I know it's hard, but it's ok... partner, you can't do anything... about it. Better me… than you. I...will hardly… be able to… help … you. You m-must...save..." Once more his body was shaken up by violently coughing; again blood trickled down his chin. He curled up in a ball when his overexerted breathing muscles protested loudly and he was overwhelmed by some new waves of pain.

"**GOD**… Starsky. It hurts …so m-much! I can't… do it… any more...Please stay with… me" Once more a tortured cough shook his body and he began to feel dizzy. He tried to breathe and fought not to slip back into unconsciousness. He felt as if somebody had poured hot oil into his wound and so he pressed a hand over his violent aching chest and squeezed his eyes closed to endure the pain.  
Starsky thought his heart would shatter into thousand pieces when he saw how much pain Hutch was in. He gently wiped the blood off the blond's chin and gathered the violently trembling body into his arms. Soothingly he rubbed Hutch's back in circles and tried to give him as much comfort as possible.  
"Hutch, sssht, stop this, please! No one is going to die. Captain Dobey is out there with a SWAT-Team, he will never give up until these guys are behind bars!" He took Hutch's pale, tormented face in his hands. "Hutch, we get through this, together. You're not alone here and don't you dare and cop out of doing it. Hey, look at me…. I won't allow it, you understand? We'll get out of this mess, **_all of us_.** And afterwards we both have to talk, Hutchinson, understood? You hear me?" Starsky gripped Hutch's shoulders, his eyes burning with pure fear; his voice died down in a hoarse whisper, a thick lump in his throat stopped him from talking again.

Starsky's desperate outburst eventually made Hutch catch his breath and a small sparkle of hope flashed in his eyes.  
"Hey...c-calm down...There's no reason… to shout at me, I'm not deaf! Think...you talked me over…don't think …you can do this alone. It would kill Dobey… if he has to… look ...for a new partner… for you…. You're unbearable, partner... … probably you'll have to put up me... even a little bit longer. By no means, I never ever…will leave this nice young lady… to you!" He winked to Reeba.  
"Now, partner...what's your plan?"

"That's my boy!" Starsky sighted with relief and suppressed a quiet sob. Hutch was with him again, far away from being really on his feed, but his keen mind working again.

"Plan? Well, I thought you were the brain in our duo, so what do you think?"  
"Think… we are in a tight spot… aren't we?" Hutch knitted his eyebrows. "Dobey will kill us, at best… we again get a two-week traffic service… at a zebra crossing!"  
"I think, he'll be glad if we get out of this mess in one piece and besides, who would get on his nerves like we do?"  
Only with effort Hutch suppressed a laugh; his broken ribs wouldn't forgive him this mistake.  
"Okay, guys, enough with this chit chat. My patient needs rest." With her finger Reeba pointed at Starsky. "If you think we need a plan, then find one, but _**quiet**_! And you Ken, try to find some rest. No reason to rack your brain over it."  
"Yes, doctor!" both detectives sighed in unisonous.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A thunderstorm was on its way; the hostages could hear the thunder and the rain beating against the walls. The minutes crept by. One and a half hours had passed; the wall clock pointed 10.20p.m. Through the closed door the hostages could hear whispered voices, then the piercing ring of a phone. Starsky, who sat on the floor dozing for a while, started and was wide awake within a second. The door was torn open and Rick appeared in the door frame, the gun aimed again at Starsky.  
"You, get up."  
Starsky slowly nodded, he was glad that Hutch was losing the fight of staying awake and had fallen asleep again and wasn't able to see what was happening. The remaining hostages tensely held their breath, nobody said a word when Starsky slowly raised his hands and folded it behind his head. Silently he changed glances with Reeba and then both men left the office.

They entered the counter area and again the phone rang. Starsky had a nasty feeling in his stomach; everything was going too fast, no more negotiations tactics, no exchange of hostages. But he had no other choice, he had to wait.  
It seemed as if Cole was waiting for Starsky and pointed with his head in the direction of the phone. "Big daddy is waiting for you, now it's your turn!" He passed the receiver to Starsky.  
"This is Detective Starsky."  
"Starsky, this is Dobey, we have a problem."  
_'Ah, my instinct had not let me down!'  
_"What is it?" Starsky tried to be as calm as possible, although he already knew, what his Captain was trying to tell him.  
"I have spoken with the Commissioner... he doesn't agree with the ransom demand and the getaway car."  
A break, Starsky could clearly hear how Dobey was struggling for words.  
"First he wants to be sure that all hostages are still alive, and then he wants them all released. In exchange a getaway car will be provided. There will be no ransom payment."

Starsky nodded in silence and glanced over to Cole. He had been listening to everything over the speaker, now he had his chin in his hand and was doing some hard thinking.  
"Dave?"  
"Yes, I'm still here."  
"Believe me that I have tried everything I can but the Commissioner wouldn't change his mind."  
"Oh yes...I know exactly what he said. You're not allowed to negotiate with kidnappers."  
Because Dobey said nothing, Starsky knew that he was right. He could clearly visualize the conversation in all details. A frantic Dobey would move heaven and hell into movement to argue with the Commissioner to accept the demands of the kidnappers. But now he had fought a losing battle.  
"I understand you Cap." Starsky said in a calm voice, prepared for the worst as he again glanced over to Cole.  
Suddenly Cole stood up with a jerk and tore the receiver out of Starsky's hand. "You pushed it too far," he roared, the eyes wild with rage and ready for everything. "Now I'll show you how I do things!" He banged the receiver on the phone, pure hatred in his eyes.  
"Rick, Sam, get me that damned cop. _**Now**_!"

Starsky thought that his heart was going to stop right away. Unbelievingly he watched both kidnappers rushed to the office with aimed guns. He heard loud shouts and Reeba, who yelled out furiously: "Take your damned hands off him, you..." The words ended in a loud blow and Reeba fell silent. A scuffle and more brief blows followed.

Then he heard a bloodcurdling shout.  
Starsky's blood froze in his veins, in a second he was on his feet but this time Cole was faster and pressed the muzzle of the gun to the brunet's forehead.  
"Don't move. Not even twinkle your eyes. One single step and I will blow up everything up here!" Cole's voice was as cold as steel. Starsky froze in horror and helplessly he now had to watch how both kidnappers dragged his friend through to the counter area.

Hutch wasn't able to walk, the two kidnappers had gripped Hutch under his armpits and now they were dragging him brutally through the room. His chest wound caused him indescribable pain; in torture he bite down his lips so hard, they started to bleed. Sweat ran down his snow white face, mixed up with the rising tears and burnt in his eyes like acid. Feebly his head fell back and his eyes found Starsky's terror-stricken eyes.  
"**_Hutch.._."**  
A toneless scream escaped out of Starsky's throat, he couldn't move a muscle. Hutch was near the edge of losing consciousness; now the constant knocking in his injured chest had become a permanent intolerable pain. He could feel that once again the wound had started to bleed. Blood ran down his hip and soaked his pant leg.

Hutch's sky-blue eyes met with Starsky's deep dark blue ones.  
_'Don't be afraid buddy. Watch your back. I love you.'_  
Hutch didn't let his friend out of sight. Even when both gangsters dragged him to the door he turned his head with a strong-man act in Starsky's direction. Cole followed his both chums, a malicious grin in his face.  
"Now watch and see what great damage your Commissioner has done!"  
Starsky felt as if he was falling. He had to stand by and watch helplessly as his best friend was on his way to his execution and far all his efforts he could do nothing, really nothing about it. Even if he did try everything to save his partner's life somehow, Hutch would be dead. Desperately he stumbled a few steps forward, but before he could reach the door Cole roared out a short order and Sam released Hutch out of his grip and ran over to Starsky.

He pulled Starsky hard, put his right arm around Starsky's neck and almost squeezed off his windpipe. Starsky desperately tried to defend himself, but the more he fought the more the violent grip around his neck tightened Struggling for air, a weapon aimed at his head, he was forced to watch this nightmarish drama without being able to go into action.  
_'I love you too, Hutch.'  
_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Dobey was upset. He knew that the Commissioner wouldn't accept the demands of the kidnappers. But up to the end he had a secret hope that he could change his chief's opinion, or at least he had tried to find out another solution.  
He had tried, but unfortunately, without success.  
Now together with nearly one dozen other policemen and SWAT members he stared at the foyer of the bank, that was still dark. It was pouring with rain; flashes of lightning illuminated the sky and made a weird light. Suddenly something was going on in the bank. With his binoculars Dobey could see several people, two who were dragging a limp body to the door and in the background two others, obviously fighting with each other.

"Light... switch on the floodlights.** NOW**!" Dobey grunted. At once two strong headlights turned on full beam. He heard some shouts of suppressed pain and also some muffled groans; very suddenly he saw a blond mop of hair flashing in the light.  
Dobey trembled; the unmoving form which was being dragged out of the door was... Hutch.  
"Heavenly God..." a shocked voice whispered behind him. In the bright light Dobey could clearly see the chest injury on Hutch's left side. His left hand tried to stop the steady bleeding, blood oozed through his fingers. Hutch was in obvious pain and trying to stay awake. Suddenly both kidnappers stopped and one of them brutally jerked Hutch's head back.

"Now have a good look detective, because what you see now will be the last." Cole whispered in Hutch's ear and sneered, and then he turned to his 'audience'.  
"Now take a good look... This is what happens if you don't follow my orders. Here, this is my answer to your negligence!"  
In horror Dobey and all the others saw how Cole directed the weapon at Hutch's head and slowly pulled the trigger.

TBC


	7. Chapter 6

Hi everybody and a happy new year to all!

**Chapter 6**

It was as if you could hear a pin drop and all present stopped breathing and everybody hoped that this gruesome moment would be over as fast as possible.  
The rain splashed down on them, everybody expected the fatal bang, but they only heard a silent "click" and than…nothing.  
Cole laughed like a hyena, with relish he slowly put the safety on his weapon and watched how Hutch's knees buckled as he gave out a choked cry and only Rick stopped him from breaking down on the wet ground by catching him under his armpits.

A gargling sound died down in Hutch's throat, followed by a worrying cough. Rick pulled him again back on his feet and Cole stood above him grinning maliciously.  
"Well step by step I'm getting used to you, but wouldn't it be a pity if I gave up this wonderful friendship too fast? But I think, we should offer our spectators something special, shouldn't we?" He saw Starsky behind the window observing the scene with terror wide eyes, Cole's face screwed up in a wide grin. Without any warning he swung back his fist and with full force rammed it into the left side of the blond's chest. With pain and terror Hutch's eyes almost bulged from their sockets, he opened his mouth as if to cry out loud, but his throat wasn't able to utter a sound.

Directly after the punch Hutch felt no pain, only a chilly cold which spread down his whole body. But now he had a feeling as if somebody had rammed a glowing knife into his guts and now was twisting it around slowly. Astonished Hutch glanced down his body and expected to see a knife lodged in his chest. But he only saw a blood stain on his shirt that was getting bigger and bigger by the minute. He could feel the blood poured down his hip in streams and his pant leg was saturated with blood in no time. With both hands Hutch clutched at Cole's upper arm, his legs suddenly became soft like rubber. His tortured body begged for some oxygen but his lungs couldn't help. Hutch looked up again, his gaze blurred and unfocused. From somewhere he heard a scream, a shrill voice shouting out his name. The iron grip under his armpits decreased, his hands searched for support, but found nothing to hold on tight. He slumped down like a rag doll. A firm hand seized him up by the shirt and crazy flickering grey eyes stared at him.  
"Believe me, that wasn't all, with pleasure Rick and Sam certainty would like to have a little more fun with you. But now it's enough for today! I think everybody has understood this punishment"

He turned around and looked at his audience. Now Cole spoke with such a loud voice that everybody could hear him.  
"Maybe _**now**_ you will accept my demands, because _**now**_ you know how I will punish next time! I hope we understand each other now. If I don't get a positive answer during the next two hours, the first hostages will die, that's definitive!"  
With a head movement he ordered the other kidnappers to go back to the bank again. He saw that Starsky was still fighting with his guard; Cole nodded at his buddy. At the same time he loosened his grip around Hutch's shirt and the blond Detective broke down without giving out a sound, his eyes paralysed with horror. Starsky escaped from the embrace staggered to his feet and desperate with fear ran towards Hutch's still body. He fell beside him on the wet ground and gathered his best friend in his arms.  
"Hutch…please, look at me…Hutch; please don't do this to me."  
He looked in Hutch's glazed eyes. His shaking voice was only a whisper and he suppressed a sobbing. Tears burned in his eyes but with a furious movement he wiped them off. With his fingers he rubbed gently over Hutch's wet face anxiously feeling for a pulse. Hutch was bent over in agony and Starsky could hear his tormented sporadic breath. The rain increased in intensity, in seconds both men were completely soaked. Starsky desperately clasped Hutch's upper chest and whispered some soothing words in Hutch's ear.  
"I got you partner…I got you. Easy, easy! Only look at me…you hear me? I don't let you go…"  
Hutch's wide open eyes were searching for his friend.  
_"S-star-sk…"_  
Blood trickled out of his mouth and he convulsed in pain and barley kept his eyes open. Desperately he grasped for Starsky's shirt and pulled him even closer to be able to endure the overwhelming pain. Starsky noticed that Hutch was digging his fingernails into his shoulder but he couldn't do anything more but simply to hold him tight.

Starsky looked up and saw that Cole was observing the cruel play with immense pleasure.  
"You damned son of a bitch…You don't just want to kill him…is it just an amusement for you to torment him, or what?! God…you really are _**mad**_… You're just playing with us, like a cat with her mouse…. For heavens sake …"  
"Very good work, Detective Starsky, you're really a very good detective!" He knelt down beside him, pure hate in his eyes. "And now get your friend and bring him back to the bank again because I don't think you want to go on with this game here outdoors. Or do you want half the town watching what your friend has to endure. Stand up and take your partner with you, _now_!" Cole's voice was clear and he threatened Starsky again with his gun. Starsky raised his injured friend, stumbled to his feet and carried him back into the bank, followed by Cole who was enjoying the scene.  
Dobey had to watch everything helplessly. It almost broke his heart as he had to watch the way Cole beat Hutch up just for pure pleasure. In his whole life, he would never forget the expression on Hutch's face; the wide open eyes reflected with horror. Furiously he clenched his hands to fists and reached for the radio.

"Dispatcher… I need a contact to the Commissioner, _**now**_! – Don't tell me it's nearly midnight, I know that! Get him on the phone, at once!"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Starsky dragged his seriously injured friend back into the office, breathing hard he laid Hutch back on the sofa. When Reeba saw what condition Hutch was in she yelled out in horror.

Starsky noticed that she and the remaining hostages had to put up a good fight against the kidnappers; Reeba's right cheek was swollen red and her lip had split open, Martin's left eye was beginning to swell shut; he sat on the edge of the desk and protected his right chest with his arm. Gladys silently sobbed and buried her face in Granny's lap. The old lady tried to calm her and ran her fingers reassuringly over her head, then she fearfully looked at Starsky.  
Reeba knelt on the ground beside the sofa and examined the damage in Hutch's chest.  
"Oh my God, David…these** _bastards_**…what did they do to him? - Ken, can you hear me? Breathe, please…breathe!" Wildly she jerked away the bloody soaked shirt and gasped when she saw the damage. The old dressings were soaked completely with blood; Reeba cut up the bandages and revealed the wound.  
"Cole hit him in the chest… how bad is it?"  
"Bad enough…I…I need the first aid kit and…more material for some dressings."  
With shaking fingers she examined the wound and when she looked up briefly those wonderful blue eyes looked at her. They were full of fear and deep seated pain and she would probably never forget that look all her life. Starsky crouched beside her again, the first aid kit and some towels in his hands. Reeba took a cloth and firmly pressed it on the violent bleeding wound. Hutch hissed and tried to bite back the pain as his teeth dug deeply in his lower lip, his eyes focused on Reeba. Hutch began to toss and turn on the sofa; he ached in pain and wanted to run away like a wounded animal. A coughing fit seized the blond and he tried to draw his knees up to his chin to ease the pain in his chest. But he was too weak and when the coughing passed, he moaned and fumbled for his chest and tasted his blood trickling through his fingers. An unknown hand examined his wound.  
_'Jezz, that really hurts! Stop it, please!'_  
He tried to push the hand away that was causing the pain. Struggling he tried to push the invisible tormentor away and curled up in a ball till the pain would ease perhaps some time. Starsky grabbed his hands and felt Hutch's viscous blood between his fingers.  
"Come on Hutch", he whispered soothingly and bent down Hutch's legs. "I know it must hurt like hell, but Reeba must stop the bleeding. Stay with me, Hutch…you hear? Look at me!"  
"Mmmh." Hutch's eyes twinkled as he tried to look at Starsky, but his gaze was blurred. His body began to tremble as a stab of pain ran through his body.

"Starsk, p-please...it hurts…for Christ sake…stop it…please."  
"I'm here Hutch…Hutch?" Feeling Hutch's strength left his body he held him closer.  
"Hutch…don't you dare…you don't leave me, do you hear?" His voice was shrill, he slapped the blonds' cheeks and after a while Hutch half-opened his eyes.  
"'M here… going nowhere… you s-stay with…me?"

"Sure…I'm not leaving you…promise…"  
Reeba turned around to Starsky, her voice fragile and quiet.  
"The punch must have been hard one. I think the bullet moved…probably caused internal bleeding. I …I must get the bullet out…otherwise, he'll bleed to death."  
"_**What**_…you can't do that… Are you mad? I know, you are a nurse, but you're not a _**doctor**_! He needs … this isn't a hospital! You can't cut open his chest and get out this damn bullet. He's been through enough. He wouldn't survive this." Starsky desperately glared at Reeba.  
"David…I know that you only want to help him…but I've got to do it and I have to do it _**now**_!" Reeba's voice lowered down and she spoke so softly and quietly that only Starsky could still hear it. "Believe me, by God, I also would prefer a hospital. But it's the only chance he has. If we do nothing … then we'll lose him."

For a short moment Hutch managed to dispel his pain. He reached for Starsky's cheek and said with a fragile voice:  
"S-she's right...Starsk…it's the only…chance…let her… do it."

Starsky sighted and shook his head in disbelieve.  
"And…you really know…what you have to do?"  
"I don't want to lie to you, I'm _**only** _nurse, I have only learned to do some small surgery like stitching up a knife wound, but I have already seen it many times…You have to trust me and I need your help…I'm just as scared as you are. I don't want to hurt Ken…but he'll die…we're losing him."  
Starsky closed his eyes.  
This couldn't be true. Hutch couldn't die. He wouldn't accept it, not today, not now, not in this damned office.  
"David…You hear me David? You must help me; I can't do this without you." Reeba's voice brought him back again.  
"Yes…yes, what shall I do?" His eyes fluttered open.  
"You must hold him as tight as possible…" She said briefly and firmly glared at him. "Knock him out… it'll be bad enough for him … otherwise he'll have to endure some dreadful pain. I don't want him suffer any more."  
"_**W-what**?_... I can't do that… _**No**_!"  
Starsky shook his head furiously and stared at Reeba without understanding her plea. A cold hand fumbled for his and clasped it. With half open eyes Hutch looked at his friend.  
"Starsk…please…do it…for me." His begging glance spoke more than thousand words.  
_'Buddy, please I need you now. I can't go through this without you!'_  
Reeba watched the silent conversation between both friends. She knew that Starsky needed this moment badly for his strength to get through what could be the worst minutes of his life.

Hutch's gaze rested on Starsky. He felt like his insides were being ripped apart. He could feel the bullet in his guts; like a glowing piece of coal which burned through his body. But he knew that if he showed his own fear, or his whole magnitude of pain, it would probably become much worse for Starsky. Oh yes, he was afraid and the pain had assumed alarming proportions and he was sure, he couldn't stand it much longer. But he knew that he could trust Starsky always.  
"Starsky…do it…hurts too much…I can't take it …" His voice was only a crack whisper, his lower lip trembled, his eyes full of tears. Starsky carefully brushed back the sweat bangs from his forehead. He didn't like the idea and he didn't want to punch his friend, didn't want to hurt him. But he understood that if he didn't do it now, Hutch would suffer much more pain.  
_'Its okay, Starsk.'  
'I'm sorry, Hutch, I'm so sorry.'_  
Starsky briefly closed his eyes, then his left fist flew forwards and the blow caught Hutch directly on his chin. His head flew to one side, his body relaxed and finally he drifted into a merciful unconsciousness.  
Reeba sighed and nodded at Starsky. In the meantime she had examined the first aid kit and found some more dressings a pair of forceps and a bottle of antiseptic, but unfortunately, no sewing kit.  
'_That would have been too nice! But don't crack your head, there's no reason. One step after the other.'_  
"I even need some more bandages, Dave. I need your shirt even if it's wet. And Martin, may I also have yours?" She gave the young man a questioningly look.  
"Of course…would you mind, aah… I have nothing more…left." He blushed and looked at Granny searching for some help.  
"Oh young man…I'm more than eighty years old, such a thing doesn't frighten me any more…and I believes Gladys can handle _**this**, _too!"  
Martin blushed even more and hurriedly took off his shirt and passed it silently to Reeba who cut the fabric immediately into several bandages. After that she put everything she probably would need on the table, near at hand and then once again washed her hands.  
"David … I'm ready. But first we should take off his wet clothes and lay him down as much as possible."  
With some difficulty they removed Hutch's soaked shirt and t-shirt and had turned him carefully on his back.

"Okay … I need you to keep him as still as possible, he must not move …"  
Reeba was highly concentrated, she reached for the scissors and waited until Starsky went to his usual spot at Hutch's head. She picked up the scissors, carefully extended the wound and then slowly and warily fumbled with her fingertips for the bullet. In spite of being unconscious Hutch gave out a loud groan, his eyelids rapidly twitched and Starsky held Hutch's shoulders tighter. He bent over him without letting Reeba out of sight and murmured reassuring words into his ear.  
Reeba closed her eyes and tried to remember some of the anatomy of the abdominal cavity. In the operating theatre everything was so easy; she only needed to pass the instruments to the surgeon. But now she was on her own and working in the chest of this man and she wasn't wearing _**sterile gloves**_! She tried not to think about what she was doing here, sweat suited her forehead and she desperately hoped that she wouldn't do more harm than necessary.  
Suddenly her searching fingertips touched a hard metallic form. She reached with her free hand for the forceps, slipped the instrument through her fingers and felt with the tips for the bullet. The forceps clamped the bullet.  
_'Now, no mistakes, Reb. Very slowly and carefully._'  
Warily Reeba pulled back the forceps and Hutch screamed out loudly and suddenly tried to move away from the unexpected pain.  
"Hutch…its okay now…easy, the bullet's out. Just lay still…only a few minutes…sssht."  
Starsky pressed Hutch's shoulders back on the couch and saw Reeba's trembling bloody hand. In her left palm was the bullet. Absently she put it on the table and pressed a folded piece of fabric on the now violently bleeding wound. Anxiously Starsky looked up; although he didn't think that it was possible Hutch's face had become even paler. His ashen face was covered with a film of fine sweat; his lips had changed into a bluish color, his breath so low that he could hardly feel it.  
"Reeba, what's wrong?"  
"He's bleeding…the bullet must have nicked an artery or vein… David, I don't know if I can stop the bleeding!" Reeba said nervously, her features tensed. She changed the fabric packs several times and increased the pressure on the wound; but the bleeding didn't stop. Reeba desperately stroked with the back of her hand over her forehead.  
"I … I need something to tie it!"  
"_**What**?"_

"A thread, a twine…and a needle…if I can't stop the bleeding, he bleeds to death." Reeba glared at Starsky. Again her fingers palpated around the wound, tentative finding a pulsating vein. Finally, after half an eternity her fingers found a small but steady stream.  
"Damn it…I need a thread, now…" She said with almost a toneless voice.  
_'Why didn't you listen to your instinct?'_  
"Here darling…"  
The gentle voice of Granny let her look up.  
"I always have a sewing kit in my bag, just in case a button…you know…" She passed a small case including some different colored threads and needles to her.  
"Granny, you're a gift from God! If I could I would kiss you now!"  
Happily she pointed to what she needed and asked Granny to handle her some thread.  
_'Now we will see if you have learned anything in surgery'_  
She started to repair the pulsating vein, without being able to see anything, but after a few minutes the wound stopped bleeding. Reeba thoroughly cleaned the wound with antiseptic and carefully started to bandage it up. She concentrated on sewing up the wound completely and didn't see any infections or bleeding. Once again she palpated for Hutch's pulse, and found it very weak and too fast, but his bluish lips had disappeared and he breathed much easier. Completely exhausted she fell back on her knees and shifted her weight to her heels; her arms limply lay on her upper thighs. She closed her eyes; suddenly she became aware of how tired she was. A shiver grasped her body and made her tremble.  
"Reeba? Reeba! What's the matter with you? You feel ok? You look like a ghost!" Starsky asked softly.  
Carefully he laid Hutch's head down on the pillow and crouched beside her. He raised her chin with his forefinger and laid one hand on her upper arm. Reeba tiredly shook her head.  
"No…no, I feel great! I only put these fingers in the chest of a man and repaired a vein!" She gave out a hysterically laugh. "If I have made a mistake, everything will burst again and Ken will bleed to death. I didn't even wear sterile gloves, no sterile dressings…nothing. If it turns to sepsis…"  
She burst into tears and started to tremble violently again. Confused she stared at her still bloody hands and tried to wipe the blood off her hands with some fabric.  
Starsky noticed that Reeba was at the end of her tether. The last hours had not only been demanding for him, but had also brought the young woman to the edge of complete exhaustion. Starsky spread out his arms and hugged the shaking and sobbing woman rocking her to and fro like a child. Reeba feebly slumped; the amassed fear came out in dreadful shakes and whimpers.

"Sssht…sssht, everything's ok now…You did a wonderful job Reeba, you were fantastic! Without you Hutch would be dead already … you know that? Just let it out…"  
He heard a quiet groaning from the couch, Hutch was still unconscious, but his sub-consciousness seemed to be alert as ever. He rolled his head from side to side and drew his legs up to his chest again, his right hand searching for some comfort.  
"Sergeant, look after your friend." Granny stepped beside Starsky and friendly nodded.  
"I know how the courageous lady must feel now. I have been through two world wars and I saw too much blood there. I'll look after her."  
Starsky looked at her in gratitude and freed himself of Reeba's embrace. Granny pulled the still violently crying Reeba to her feet and led her to the basin to wash her hands.  
Starsky took a deep breath, Reeba was in good hands. Exhausted he dropped on his knees beside the couch and covered Hutch with Granny's thin coat and the jackets. Starsky knew that Hutch was in shock again and had lost too much blood, the coat and the jackets were not enough to warm him up. Tiredly he pressed his fists against his eyes and leaned his elbows on the couch. After a short moment he looked up and his eyes twinkled.  
_'Pull yourself together, Starsky, you need a plan, now think about it! Hutch needs help, and fast!'  
_He had to stop this nightmare, even if he had to take a big risk. Starsky held Hutch's wrist with his fingers and pressed it firmly.  
_'Just me and thee, like always!'_  
Suddenly Starsky heard a quiet scream and turned round. Gladys was still sitting in the armchair, Martin at her side. She pressed both hands on her belly.  
"Oh my God, _**no**_!"  
"What…what is it…?"  
Starsky had an awful foreboding and secretly hoped that he was wrong.  
"I think my labor's started!"

TBC


	8. Chapter 7

Sorry for the delay... but some things went terrible wrong in real life...thanks for waiting!!!

**Chapter 7**

A ghostly silence lay around the scene, interrupted only by short radio calls and quiet murmuring. Captain Dobey sat in the SWAT team's van and lost in thought stared out in the dark rainy night, the dreadful pictures of the last hour all too clearly before eyes.  
But the worst was that Nat had to watch everything.  
It was bad enough that he didn't know what was happening to his mother, but to watch how an obviously seriously injured man still had to endure more torture was hard to understand. How could the soul of a child handle this? Dobey was glad that now Minnie Kaplan was looking after the distraught boy. But before Minnie could bring him to a car and get him a hot cup of tea and some rest, Nat begged Dobey again not to send him away. He had to know what was going on with his mother.

After the dispatcher had tried unsuccessfully to get the Commissioner on the phone for several times Dobey was furious and he decided to make the next important decisions on his own initiative. Maybe this decision would cost him his job, but he couldn't sit around and watch a lunatic bomb a bank in the air and maybe send so many people to death. Especially if that included two of his best men.  
He had no other choice, and he would have to live with the consequences. First he had cleared the adjoining buildings and got the people to safety without too much fuss, so the bank robbers knew nothing of it.  
Dobey breathed deeply and paged through the ground plan of the bank. Someone had got the bank manager out of the bed and he had immediately promised his unlimited help. He had given Dobey the plan and also the confirmation that two employees were in the bank, unfortunately one of them a pregnant woman. This case was getting from bad to worse; at least six people were in the power of the kidnappers, including two of his detectives.

From the outside the bank was very hard to observe, there were three offices, all in the rear part of the bank. But there was no access from the front or from the back of the bank. No window, no back door that could be stormed, and because the kidnappers threatened with a blast, it wouldn't be possible anyway. The bank's supervision camera had been cut by the robbers; there was no chance of getting a picture of the inside of the bank. Dobey's only hope was to ask the manager to provide the ransom and he himself would look after the getaway car and would drive it if necessary. His thoughts were interrupted by a deep voice.  
"Captain Dobey... What do you think you're doing here?"  
Dobey looked up and looked in the angry face of the Commissioner.  
"You get me from an important meeting with the town council and now I find out that you're talking with the bank robbers and agree with all their demands. Since when do we negotiate with criminals, Captain Dobey? And since _**when**_ do_ **you**_ ignore _**my**_ orders?"  
The police chief voice was getting louder with every word and his whole posture showed that he was used to the fact that everybody obeyed his orders.  
"Chief Walters", Dobey briefly cleared his throat and sorted his thoughts. "With all due respect sir, but we're not talking here about rules. Our biggest problem is the greatest possible disaster. The most important thing is that the lives of several inoccent people are in great danger. How will you explain to the council that a whole street in Bay City was blown up by some criminals, without even one **_attempt_ **to contact the kidnappers? Two of these hostages in the bank are _**my**_ men who risk their life for the citizens of this town every damned day. And two dozen police officers who would risk their life for each other, too. I would just react in the same way as if one of **_them_ **were there in the bank, sir. One of my men is seriously hurt and the kidnappers are threatening to kill him if their demands are not met. But I will **_not_ **allow this!

I would never sacrifice one of my men! **Never**!

We are sitting on the top of a volcano and I don't want to be the one who lights the fuse, _**Sir**_!"  
During his emotional speech Dobey stood up to his full size and didn't let the grizzly haired man out of sight, his deep-brown eyes full of fury. Chief Walters drew a deep breath, his face turned deeply red. Everybody thought that the Commissioner would let out a furious tirade any minute, but nothing happened. An icy silence ruled between both men, neither would step down. Suddenly the men and women present began to murmur their approval. Somebody clapped their hands, other followed. Everybody had listened to the loud dispute between both policemen, and it was clear that the applause was for let his eyes wander through the rows of the police officers, then he stretched himself.  
"_**Be quiet**_!"  
Immediately the applause died down. Walters fixed the Captain for a moment then he said with a firm, but astonishingly gentle voice:  
"Captain Dobey, I don't want to lose _**any** _of these men and women here and, so help me God, if this is the last decision I make as a Commissioner of Bay City... Nobody, I repeat: _**nobody** _has the right to sacrifice a human life without a reason! I don't want and can't take over responsibility for that! But I think that you, Captain Dobey, you're completely right in your opinion! I agree with you that we have to negotiate with the kidnappers. Get your men out there, and _**that** _is an order!"  
Dobey nodded appreciatively to Walters, in silence he held out a hand to his Chief and both policemen shooke hands in mutual respect. The remaining onlookers applauded once again.  
"Okay, Captain Dobey what do we know about the kidnappers? Who are these guys?"

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

The situation in the bank didn't ease up. The problems became bigger and bigger and the possibilities of a solution smaller and smaller. Starsky had crouched on the floor, his back leaned against the wall, his eyes closed. He was so dreadfully tired. His brain seemed to be made of cottonwool, even incapable of a clear thought. But now he had to pull himself together; if it was only about him, everything would be easier but unfortunately it wasn't only him. His best friend was shot and seriously injured, a pregnant woman could give birth at any time and a cashier wasn't far away from losing his nerves.  
And then there was Hutch.  
Hutch always was the constant in his life, his compass, the one he always had been able to count on. He had watched over everything and...he was there, _**always**_! Like that night in that Italian restaurant, when Starsky was practically dead, with a bullet in his shoulder. But Hutch had saved his life and the lives of all the others. Completely alone, without help.  
But this time everything was different. This time Starsky was alone, nobody was there to help him and he was the one who had to look after everything; but he felt as if he lost the thread. Hutch was miles away from being any help, even if he had wanted it. Over and over again he drifted in and out consciousness; instead of better he was going from bad to worse.

He thanked God for sending him Reeba and Granny. The old lady was calm as could be, she kept her temper and she mastered every new disaster with her own serenity and Starsky wished Granny could give a little bit of it to him.  
And then there was Reeba; this young woman with the big brown eyes and the almond colored pony tail.  
She was an enigma.  
On one side strong as a rock and then again vulnerable and anxious like a new born bird falling out of its nest. Just now she again proved her whole strength and together with Granny tried to calm down the pregnant Gladys. They had laid the upholstery of the armchairs and all still available cushions on the ground and had built a simple bed. After that Starsky and both women had laid down Gladys on the floor as comfortably as possible.  
Martin was no big help. After the gruesome incident outside the bank and what had happened afterwards, the young man had a complete nervous breakdown. Now white as chalk he ran around the office like a startled chicken incapable of calming down.  
_'Excellent'_, Starsky thought. _'That's exactly what I need now!'_  
Reeba had examined Gladys as well as she could, now she got up and went over to Starsky. Exhausted she dropped down beside him on the ground.  
"My God, every twelve-hour shift in the hospital is easier to handle than this here!" She smiled wryly putting her head against the abdomen and sighed quietly. "The waters haven't broken yet, but she's in labor. As long as she lays still and doesn't get upset everything will be all right. But she also urgently needs something to eat; all of us do. Her blood sugar is too low; probably this is the reason why the labor's had started. Granny's great, without her help..."  
"Yes, I know..." Starsky kept quiet for a while then he looked at Reeba. "Damn, we have to get Gladys and Hutch out here, right?"  
Reeba nodded slowly. "It's their only chance; Gladys herself is doing very well, but Ken...he has lost a lot of blood, I'm not sure if his left lung has collapsed, but I couldn't hear any respiration sounds, not to mention the shock..." She sighed again. "If he wasn't so strong and you weren't with him...he wouldn't have survived it, David."

Starsky bit down on his lower lip, his eyes gleamed with moisture as he glanced over to Reeba.  
"Yeah...I know... I'm scared that he won't make it this time. I ...I ... in my whole life I never was so scared like today. And in this morning I was so angry with him... I'm such an idiot! I yelled at him that I needed a new partner, because of his bad moods ...God! I'm not ready for something like that... can't lose him yet ... he can't die Reeba, please!"  
"Oh shut up! Always the same old story!" Very suddenly Martin stood in front of him, he choked at his words. In a flash he clutched Starsky by his collar and pulled him to his feet, his eyes glittered wildly.  
"You are to blame yourself; _**you **_and your partner have gotten us into this whole mass. If you hadn't appeared, everything would be over long time ago. The criminals would have got their money and we would be free. But _**you** _had to play the hero, like your damned partner... The police, your partner...to protect and to serve..." He gave out a hysterical laugh and firmly pressed Starsky to the wall. "You **_should protect_ us** and what do you do?! Moaning here around like an old woman and crying about your oh so important partner! He's done, he's dying! Now is the time to look after the living! Finally, I want _**to get out**! _I can't do this any more..." He flung Starsky across the office and hammered with his fists against the door.  
"Get me out of here... I want to see my wife again... damn ...get me out, _**now**_!"  
Shaken with sobs he fell on his knees. Starsky struggled to his feed and together with Reeba he tried to calm the angry man down. But suddenly Martin whirled around and rushed again at Starsky. Reeba yelled out in horror.

"You and your damned friend are responsible for it if we die here..."  
He gripped his hand around Starsky's neck and began to squeeze, his face a mad mask. Starsky tried to defend himself against Martin and pushed his knee in Martin's groin several times. Martin's strangling grip became weaker and he slumped. With a clean left cut Starsky hit him in the face; Martin fell to the ground without a sound. Starsky tripped aside and hit the ground, too. He heard the women screaming; he sat up laboriously and struggled for air.

Reeba had hurried to his side and now knelt before him.  
"Can you hear me? David?" She snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. "Hey, officer, you still with us?"  
Starsky seized the fingers and held on tight.  
"Yes...I'm still there... no reason to go away. God... he's completely mad." He gasped.  
"No, he's not mad. He's only afraid, just like all of us." Reeba answered in a flat voice and looked over to the now unconscious man.  
Starsky struggled to his feed." It's time that we consider a plan, Reeba. We have to..."  
"Yeah ... w-what you need, is a brain... that's doing all the work for you!"  
A tiredly whispering voice interrupted Starsky and both looked up in surprised. A pair of sky-blue eyes looked at them.  
"Hutch ... you're awake!" Starsky exclaimed enthusiastically. "How do you feel?"  
"Tired... but I think...being better. What about you?"  
"Well...I feel great, but you look awful...white as a sheet, you're in much pain? Reeba has removed the bullet and has stopped the bleeding; you're as good as new!"  
Hutch thankfully looked at Reeba and smiled weakly. "And why do I feel like a bomb... exploded in my chest? What did she use... a pneumatic hammer or what? Feels like she moved my guts from... one side to the other!" He pressed a hand over his chest and quietly gave out a loud groan. "Jezz...Starsk... tell me...something new...what happened to Martin?" He glanced over to the still unconscious man. "What do you do to him? Isn't your charm enough any more, or what... did you have to beat up poor Martin, mh?"  
Starsky noticed how speaking exerted Hutch and that he was still in excruciating pain, but he was so glad to hear his friend's voice again. So he tried to distract Hutch a bit, so that he could better endure the pain.

"Hey, you are Prince Charming and I'm the bad boy, you remember?"  
"Yes...sure, Starsk ...what ever you say..."  
"Hey, wait until we are out of here and Dobey see the mess you got yourself in then you feel better immediately!"  
Hutch suppressed a laugh about that thought and grimaced painfully. "Please, don't make me...laugh, breathing is quite...difficult enough... So, do you have any new ideas? Remember... Dobey will put us on traffic duty for the next two weeks if we mess up here, so any idea?" Hutch restlessly slid round on the sofa to get into a more comfortable position. Reeba pushed some cushions behind his back, until Hutch was propped up in a half seated position, leaning on his side.  
"This is better...breathing is easier now, thanks!"

He again glanced over at Reeba and relaxed. "Good work...I'm sorry about the trouble..."  
"Sssht, take it easy ... here drink this, you are completely drained." Reeba passed a mug of water to him and raised his head to help him with the drinking. "Not too fast ... I don't want you sick. What about pain?"

"Don't ask me…feels like my chest is on fire, but I'm glad that you... removed the bullet."  
She smiled again and her eyes sparkled. "Why don't I always have such well-behaved patients?"  
"Because otherwise... they would fall in love with you!" Hutch winked and suppressed a coughing fit.  
"Hey partner, be careful! Remember, nurses have very long needles!" Starsky wagged his finger at Hutch. Reeba blushed in embarrassment and to distract herself she checked Hutch's dressings. "Huh ... looks very good ... Now you Supercops what's your next step?"  
Starsky snorted. "A conference!"  
Hutch distraughtly looked at him.  
"A what?!"  
"I'll speak with Cole, maybe he'll make a deal."  
"What deal? What do you mean?"  
"Well, I'll try to exchange you and the others for a getaway car. Good idea, right?"  
"No, bad idea, you're crazy! Your head has got hit more than I thought!" Hutch tried to sit up but screamed out in pain and fell back. "Damn... he rather will see in hell... than allowe one of us to go. As he already... said, he needs us."  
"The only one he needs is **me**, Hutch and you know it, and I will absolutely not admit, that he puts his hand on you, Gladys or..."  
"Stop talking..." Reeba said resolutely. "One heroic deed in a day is enough and you see what happened. We must think of something better."  
Starsky shook his head and got up, Hutch's hand still firmly in his.  
"If you have a better idea, than tell it to me. But until then we do it my way!"  
"You damned... pigheaded mule...! Your mother will tear me in pieces if she heard about it!"  
If he didn't feel so dreadfully tired and weak then he would have talked out Starsky of this mad idea with all his power. He would have argued with him, maybe even fought with him, but he didn't have enough strength to shout at him. So he softly reached for his partner's hand and firmly looked into the familiar deep blue eyes.  
"Be careful, partner. And what I wanted to say...to you, I get used to your... constant turning up late, I didn't need a...new partner, you understand?"  
Starsky felt a knot in his throat; he swallowed and enclosed their both hands with his left. "As I already said, you stick with me, Hutchinson ... me and thee, like always! "  
"Yeah, like always."

Once again Starsky briefly squatted beside Reeba. "Please look after this blond Viking here, but be careful, he can be a pain in the ass, sometimes _he_is pigheaded like a mule!" He got up and grinned suddenly. "And he's afraid of needles!" Reeba laughed drily.  
"Yes, if I need to I will tie him up!"  
Starsky went to the door and hammered with his fist against it.  
"Hey, open the door; I want to speak with your boss!"

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Oh, sergeant Starsky, what an honor!"  
Cole sat at his desk, his feet rested on the tabletop. The small desk lamp gave a dim light and the room looked very small.  
Cole nodded to Starsky and pointed to a free chair towards him. "Please, take a seat, what can I do for you?"  
"Thank you, but I'll stand." Starsky crossed his arms over his chest and fixed Cole with his eyes.  
"I want a deal."  
"A deal? Now, this sounds interesting. Go on, you make me curious."  
"My life for that of the remaining hostages."  
Cole lifted an eyebrow and then knitted his forehead.  
"Interesting thought, but inacceptable. As I already said, both of you are my security; the others are a welcome extra income."  
Starsky sighed and tought.  
_'Okay, we need another strategy here.' _  
"Come on Cole, you want to get out of here, right? But you really don't believe that there's somebody out there interested in your demands, do you? Two dozen well armed policemen standing there outside; the bank is surrounded, so how long do you think you can make it here without food, without sleep? Do you believe anybody cares for the hostages or for _**us**_? We're only policemen, replaceable. You want to blow up the bank? The houses around are evacuated a long time ago. Two-weeks clearing work, in one year there'll be a complet new building. But _**you**_..." Starsky's finger touched Cole's chest. "But _**you**_ will be dead then! Then the one million dollars of ransom won't help you anymore!"  
Cole's face remained inscrutable, but Starsky could tell how Cole's brain was working behind his forehead. This round went to him!

Cole was quiet, but his brain worked at full speed. Maybe this Detective was right and he had pushed the game too far. Just suppose, the Captain out there had only played his whole game and now he already planned an assault of the bank. What it would cost to let this Detective think he would comply with the deal. At long last only he could win, he escaped with all hostages or with one, the price he would get for this should compensate for everything. Moreover, he loved playing cat and mouse, but he didn't like to be the bait.  
He would play, but he would keep them all in suspense, since they should be played according to his rules. Starsky should not think that he deliberately had come on this deal without conditions.  
The nerve-breaking jingling of the phone made both men start. They stared at the phone and changed wordless looks. The phone rang for another 7-8 times, and then it remained quiet.  
"Look, look, Big Brother is watching you!" Cole laughed cynically and didn't let Starsky out of sight for a second. "You offer me your life for that of the other hostages is that right?"  
Starsky nodded silently.  
"And you believe that I would agree with this proposal?"  
Again a nod.  
"Now, I have to disappoint you, detective! If I let your partner go, you would be too dangerous for us. I have eyes in my head. You would do _**everything**_ for your partner and you would never allow him to suffer. So, as long as I have him, I keep you on a string. On the other hand, with the explosion up you might be right of course. So I think there's no reason that we must let things get so far. Maybe I should take this pretty cashier outside...Gladys is her name, isn't it ..."  
"You son of a bitch...Cole, she's pregnant ... and she is in labor, you really want half a town have to watch you lay violent hands on a pregnant woman?"  
Starsky stepped forwards and clenched his fists in fury.  
"A ...a ... a, Detective", Cole lifted the weapon and directed it at Starsky. "Not a step further...now you see what I mean... that's the reason why your partner stays here!" He stopped talking, as he expected an answer.  
_'Brilliant, Starsky, exactly what you wanted to avoid! __Don't let yourself be provoke by him! __Like your mother always told you, think before you speak!'  
_Starsky took a deep breath.  
"Well Cole, you want to get out of here, you want the money and you want the car, then you must be ready to pay something for it, co-operative and at least let the women go. They will be ready to go along with your demands if you make the first step, believe me. And besides, you will lose nothing. Offer them the hostages as an exchange and ask for something to eat for us. We had nothing to eat for hours; hungry people make mistakes, and this is something you can't afford right now.  
Then you release the remaining hostages and get the car and the ransom. You will see, as soon as you take the first step, then they will come towards to you."  
Starsky looked at Cole, his eyes flickered, now this was the only chance he would get. He had leaned out of the window so far and had thrown down a bone to the dog. The question was whether the dog liked the bone or not. Cole was quiet a long time before he answered.  
"I'll think about your proposal, we still have some time left."  
Starsky already had an answer on his lips, but this time, he swallowed it. This damned guy loved to irritate his victims up to the max; hopefully he would soon have the opportunity to pay Cole back for it.  
"Come on, bring him back." Cole nodded to Rick. Starsky silently turned round and accompanied by Rick he went back to the office. When they had almost reached the office door the phone rang again.  
"Detective Starsky, wait a minute I think I have already made a decision!"  
He heard the click of the trigger and stopped suddenly.  
What had this sick brain thought up now, what game did he want to play now?

TBC


	9. Chapter 8

_Sorry for being sooo late, but thanks for waiting! I hope it's worth it! Thanks for reading my story so far and for all the reviews, e-mails and your kind words! A BIG hug to my beta again...your work is fantastic!_

**Chapter 8**

Starsky slowly lifted his hands and turned round; if Cole wanted to shoot him then he had to look him in the eyes.  
"Well...I think I could go along with your proposal with some conditions."  
Cole took the safety off the gun and grinned.  
Starsky breathed deeply and felt cold sweat ran down his back. He looked questioningly at Cole but his expression was inscrutable.  
"I don't know what you think about me and I know that I'm not the kind of guy people want as a friend. But I'm not one of these types who lay violent hands on a defenseless pregnant woman." He lowered his voice so that Starsky could hardly hear him. "I leave it to you to decide who remains here. My only condition is: You, your partner and one other hostage remains here. Who, well it's all the same to me. My other demands and the ultimatum continue. You're probably right about the food, but nobody is allowed to come into the bank. Your Captain should put everything in the foyer, as a countermove we'll release the other hostages. Then he has another one hour left to fulfill my conditions. I give you my word that nothing will happen to you. When we're safe and when it's all over, I'll let your Captain know where you can be found. This is my offer. Take it or leave it!"  
Cole's grey eyes were directed firmly on Starsky; after a while Starsky slowly nodded his head.  
"But why not all hostages? Aren't my partner and I enough for you?"  
Cole clicked his tongue. "You're really a good Detective! As you said, maybe you are both replaceable but with an innocent hostage as an extra security it's much more interesting. First I thought the cashier would be exactly the right one. But now she only would slow us down and I'm not a sadist, even if you might think so."  
"Oh no, you just like to torment wounded policemen, right?!" Starsky felt how the bile climbing up his throat and he bit his lip. Again his tongue had been quicker than his brain!  
Cole stepped forwards and again raised his gun. "Be careful of what you say! I'm not in the mood for your jokes. Don't push it, otherwise..." He threateningly pulled the trigger again. "Don't give me a reason to change my mind, Detective Starsky; that would be a bad idea!"  
Starsky was near losing his control, he silently clenched fists and it was a pleasure for Cole to observe this movement.  
"Relax, Detective you'll need it. If the phone rings again ask for your Captain and inform him about my decision. And remember, no tricks. You remember this? Here's the ignition switch." He held up the small square box. "I mean it seriously."  
"Yeah, yeah I know...but what about some blankets and some bandages. Gladys and my partner are still in shock, he's completely wet, I need to warm him up, otherwise he won't survive."  
Cole considered briefly. "Blankets are okay and also some bandages...and oh wait a second..." He reached through his jacket pocket and got out a small package; he grinned briefly and threw it in front of Starsky's feet. "So maybe now you see that I'm not a monster! I think this should help your headache!"  
Starsky bent down lifted the package and read the label.  
Tylenol.  
"You damned bastard!" He murmured so quietly that Cole couldn't hear him and sighed deeply.

_'Okay, you haven't won everything Dave, but you also haven't lost anything.'_Exactly at that moment the phone rang again. Cole pointed with his head in the direction of the desk and Starsky slowly went over to it. After the sixth ring he reached the phone and took off the receiver.  
"Detective Starsky."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Hey Ken what's going on? Everything's okay?"

Hutch's quiet, pain-suppressed groaning startled Reeba. Quickly she felt his pulse and to his left chest. His lung had collapsed, but she was glad that there was still no liquid in his lung; beside an acute breathlessness a haemathorax was really the last thing Hutch need now.  
After the kidnappers had taken Starsky away Hutch slept for over nearly half an hour and now he looked more refreshed although he was as pale as a ghost and his skin felt very cold.  
Hutch licked his dry lips. "What...? No...only tired and a bit dizzy. Feels, as if an elephant is sitting...on my chest. You're sure you didn't forget the scissors in the wound?" He smirked and tried to move a little bit but a scream escaped from his throat.  
"God, it _really_ hurts... Think I didn't get enough air..." He coughed and moved around as if he wanted to sit up.

_'Damn, he needs a drain…'  
_  
"Yeah... here drink something." Reeba supported his head and Hutch thankfully emptied the mug full of water.  
"Thanks, that was good," he whispered with a croak and cleared his throat. "How long has Starsky been gone?" He looked to the door in worry, as if he expected it opened any minute.  
"Maybe half an hour," she smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, he's a big boy, he knows what he's doing" „  
"Exactly that makes me worry! '_**A big boy**..._' Sometimes he only thinks with his belly, not with his head!"  
_'And too often he thinks only with his heart and jeopardize himself...'_  
Now Reeba had to laugh. "Oh yes, that sounds familiar. You two are not as different as you think!" She kept silent, then she said seriously: "You would both die for each other, if you had to, wouldn't you?"  
"Yes, he's my soul, like a part of me…" Hutch murmured quietly. "I couldn't live without that crazy guy any more. He's like the little brother I never had. He's always in some kind of trouble… and you have to help your little brother if he's in trouble, don't you?"  
"Yeah, Dave said the same about you," Reeba remarked; she smiled and stroked the wet hair away from Hutch's forehead.

_'Oh boy, you're some sort of brothers...I'm happy that I'm not you're little sister! You both would always fight for me if I was be in trouble'_

She had never seen such an intensive and unreserved friendship between two men and it made her feel sad, that she hadn't met the two men before. Hutch pointed with his head in the direction of Gladys and Granny and gave her a questioning look.  
"What about Gladys? What's wrong with her?" He had seen Gladys' pain consumed face and had noticed that she kept rubbing her belly.  
"Her labor started some time ago, but as long as the waters haven't broken, everything's okay, otherwise…"  
"Otherwise we urgently need a midwife! Or do_ **you**_ have any practice... in being a midwife?!" Hutch completed Reeba's sentence.  
"Very funny! I think we're in enough trouble, here! Please let me finish **this** catastrophe and then the next!" Replied Reeba.  
"What has happened to Martin?" Surprised he looked over at the man lying on the ground.  
"He has lost his nerve, he has broken down completely . David had to knock him out!"  
"Ouch! Well, _**he**_ has enough...practice!" He ran his right hand over his chin, and suddenly he quietly gave out a laugh. "We're a really great team...two injured policemen, a mad cashier, a pregnant woman, an old lady and a Good Samaritan!" His sky-blue eyes sparkled and looked over to Reeba. "What do you think... could you get used to such a relationship?"  
"What do you mean '_**get used to it'**_? I have it every day, this is my job! Remember, I'm a single mother with a teenage boy, I'm divorced and I'm a nurse! What else do I need?"  
"Oh...well I don't mean your job...I mean..."

'_O-oh, Hutchinson...be careful what you say now, you don't want to embarrass her...'  
_  
"I-I mean..." He stammered again. He didn't know what to say. This was the first time since he felt in love with Gillian, that he thought he might be able to get involved with a woman.  
He didn't know why, but Reeba was right for him.

He knew that he could trust her and that she would never hurt him. He never had this feeling before, except when he met this curly haired guy at the academy who saw the world with his own, sometimes naïf eyes. He was a match too, although to all appearances they were so totally different.

This time Reeba didn't blush, she only smiled without saying something and gently touched his head.  
But her eyes said more than thousand words could tell.  
Then she saw Hutch clutch his chest, his face distorted with pain and he closed his eyes in exhaustion.

_'Don't try to be such a tough guy, you don't know that I fell in love with you the second I first saw you in the bank, do you?'  
_  
"Ken? Ken! Are you still with me?"  
She reached for his forehead and tried to comfort him.  
"Yeah...'m just tired...just so damn tired...and it hurts, Reeba...it _really_ hurts." Hutch grabbed her hand and pressed it firmly against his cold cheek.  
"It's okay Ken, just try and get some rest, David will be back again soon."  
Later she couldn't tell how long she was sitting there besides the trembling and shivering body, holding this cold, sweaty hand and ride out every new spiking pain.

'_He's just trying to control the pain until the pain controls him._'

Suddenly, the door was thrown open and Starsky stumbled back into the office.  
"You have twenty minutes, remember!" Rick roared and closed the door again.  
"Yeah, yeah...sure." Starsky growled back.  
"Ken, look whose back!" Reeba sighted with relief that Starsky was back in one piece.  
"Hey, partner!" Starsky just needed to exchange one look with Reeba to understand that his friend was going from bad to worse, but his tense features contorted into a wide smile.  
"Hey, yourself...you're back!" Hutch's raspy voice startled him. "What about you're...excursion?"  
"Well, didn't lose but also didn't win everything!"  
In short sentences Starsky told the others what he had obtained. With a skewed smile he passed the small 'present' from Cole to Reeba. Reeba took the pills, shaking her head, but without thinking shook out three white pills for Hutch and two for Starsky.  
"Here swallow these, and no argument!"  
To Starsky's relief Hutch swallowed down his pills with a gulp of water without arguing.

'_Oh God…he's really getting worse…'  
_  
Starsky took a deep breath. "Okay, we don't have much time left; we have to decide who is allowed to go." He looked around, the decision wasn't easy to was conscious again and immediately stood up.  
"Please, let me to go...I want to get out; I want to go to my wife and my children." He swayed and fell back again on the chair and buried his face in his hands. "I'm sorry for being so weak," he sobbed. "But I can't do it any more...I just want to get out of here."  
Reeba and Granny looked at each other, both incapable of saying anything. One of them would have to remain, and both knew that the one who would have to stay in the bank might not survive. Reeba gathered all her strength.  
"**I'**ll stay!" She looked at the two men. "Somebody has to look after you both. Martin wants to go and Granny..."  
"Maybe somebody would be so kind and asks_ **me**_first whether I really want to go or not!" Granny's voice sounded tough. "Darling, you're so young, your son is waiting for you, don't leave him alone. But nobody is waiting for me..."  
"No Granny, think about your granddaughter and I'm sure Nat will understand me." Reeba got up and firmly embraced the old lady.  
"I don't want to leave Ken," she whispered in Granny's ear. "I can't do much more, but I want to stay with him... I would always reproach myself if I went now, do you understand?"  
Granny ran her fingers through Reeba's hair.  
"You like the blond policeman, am I right?" She asked quietly. "Take good care of him, he needs it!"  
Reeba blushed; she thought that she had her feelings under better control.  
"Yes, I promise."  
She hugged the old lady once again and quickly wiped away a tear.  
"Take care of yourself, Granny."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The second hand crept like a snail over the face of his wristwatch. Dobey repeatedly wiped the sweat off his forehead.  
All the kidnappers' demands had been fulfilled. The money was well packed in a steel suitcase, the escape car, a black van, with a full tank and a strong direction finder. Now everybody was waiting for the first part of the arrangement to be fulfilled. Food and blankets in exchange for the freedom of three hostages. Everything was in the foyer of the bank, but so far everything was quiet.  
Nat and Minnie Kaplan had returned and now they sat together with Dobey in the SWAT transporter, waiting. Nat was pale, his eyes were swollen and red rimmed but for a boy of his age he was amazingly calm. He was going to overcome his fear and would stay here, until his mother was back again.  
"Captain Dobey," he gave the black man a questioning look. "Is my mother one of the hostages who will be allowed out?"  
Dobey sighed. "I don't know son, we have to wait." He laid his big heavy hand on Nat's and looked at the boy sadly. The thought that both Detectives were still held hostages, without consideration of the fact that Hutch was critically injured was too much for him. How much worse must it be for a 12-year-old child, who didn't know whether he would see his mother alive again or not? At this moment the door of the bank opened and a young woman with auburn hair stepped out, followed by a kidnapper. Immediately the spotlights flashed on. The woman lifted her hand before her eyes; the garish lights were blinding her. Nat had jumped up and out of the transporter.  
"Mom? _**Mom**_!" The scream sent Dobey's teeth on edge. He held back the boy by his collar.  
"Nat?" The young woman lifted her hands to stop him. "Stay where you are, I'm okay... you hear me? Nothing will happen to me."  
Nat's eyes filled with tears, Dobey felt his whole body began to tremble.  
"Mom... please come back... I'm so scared...I love you!"

Dobey saw the young woman stop suddenly and glance over to the crowd until she found her son. She smiled.  
"I love you too; Nat and I promise I'll come back." She said with a shaking voice. She reached for the box with blankets and food and then the kidnapper jerked her back into the bank.  
Nat furiously wiped the tears from his face and stared desperately at Dobey.  
"They wouldn't let my mother go, wouldn't they? She still has to stay there..." He turned round, so that nobody could see his tears. Dobey laid a hand on his shaking shoulder. "We have to wait ... and hope."  
After a while the door opened again; this time two women and a man stepped into the lights. The man and the older woman supported a pregnant woman, a kidnapper stayed in the doorway.  
"We give you one more hour and then the car and the money should be here in front of the bank. Park it back to the door, the backdoor far open. If I see anybody with a weapon, I blow everything up immediately!"  
Without saying any more he closed the door again and closed the curtains.  
"Paramedics! Take care of these hostages!" roared Dobey in the direction of the rescue car. Chief Walters joined Dobey and looked at him.  
"So far so good Captain. What's your next move?"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Starsky bit into a sandwich and passed another to Hutch.  
"Here partner, it's not Tofu, but it tastes good!"  
Hutch shook his head in refusal. "Thanks, don't think... I can't eat something." He had the feeling, as if his whole guts had turned to burning lava. Meanwhile his wound hurt unbearably and he didn't know how long he could still endure the pain. The painkillers Reeba had given him made him feel a little dizzy but he didn't really know whether it was because of the pills or his total exhaustion. He felt feverish, his head roared, his sight was foggy and blurry. His lungs were searching for oxygen and he could feel liquid slowly building up in them. He could hear the hoarse, rattling sound and each breath brought him pain and he felt hot and cold simultaneously. Hutch was glad that Reeba had been able to remove the bullet, but he also knew that the wound was infected. Reeba had changed the dressings some minutes ago and Hutch had seen the wound for the first time. The wound's lips were nastily reddened and the skin around had swelled unnaturally and was hot.

First semester medical school: The first sign of an inflamed infection.

Hutch tiredly snuggled into the warm blankets Starsky had spread over him. He felt so terribly cold and thirsty; if he could, he would drink the whole water jug in one.  
In contrast to his partner who could eat in every situation especially when he was under pressure, Hutch could easily pass on food. He was thirsty.  
"Hutch, you have to eat something," Reeba shook her head. "I would like to give you a few more pills, but on an empty stomach it's not a good idea." She noticed how Hutch was suffering, his pain had to be intolerable, but she heard no complaints, only sometimes a loud groan or a quiet suppressed cry. "No reason to play the tough guy anymore, I can _**see**_ and _**know**_ that you are in pain, so... at least just one bite!"  
She raised his head and started to feed him like a stubborn child but Hutch turned his head away.  
"Now, come on..._eat_! Hutchinson, believe me ... I'm used to recalcitrant patients. Don't run a risk! I can hear your stomach growling. Now...open your mouth!"  
Starsky laughed to himself when he observed that Hutch with reluctance opened his mouth and took a bit off the sandwich. He looked over to Starsky for help.  
"Well ... good boy! And once more!" Reeba smiled and was contented. She took three more white pills and put them in her palm. "Now, take the pills and then try to sleep, you understand? In less than an hour we'll be free and then you get rid of me!"  
"Maybe I don't want that at all?" Hutch murmured tiredly, his eyelids grown heavy and he twinkled. "Maybe I've got a crush on your... wonderful brown eyes!"  
"Hutchinson... you're impossible!" Reeba turned away, but deep down in her heart she had made a decision.

Starsky grinned broadly. For the first time in years his partner seemed to be in love again and he was the first who be glad for him. Since Jeanny and the tragic death of Gillian Hutch never got into a relationship because of the sad memories. Then after the assault in the police garage other things had been more important; hunting Gunther and Starsky's long and painful recovery. That it was happening under these difficult circumstances...well, it had been unpredictable but Starsky would be able to live with it if it was okay with Hutch.

"Be quiet, Blondie, do those tells you, okay? No reason, why you shouldn't take a nap."  
Hutch nodded slowly, his eyes half-open. "Only a few minutes, just... dizzy." Exhausted, his head fell to his side; Starsky took a deep breath. "That's good." He pulled the blankets up to his chin. "Just relax, everything's fine." He ran his fingers softly through Hutch's hair and waited until Hutch was sound asleep. Then he got up and led Reeba to a chair. He sat down on the edge of the desk and looked at her.

"It doesn't look so good, right?"  
"No...He's starting a fever, but I can't give him any more to drink, he has fluid in his lungs...don't know how to help him, David..."  
"I know, Reeba you doing all you can..." He looked at the clock, it was 4.40p.m.  
"We have still 20 minutes. Time to think about, what will happen afterwards." Reeba looked at him without understanding a word.  
"What do you mean '_**afterwards**'_?"  
"You really believe Cole simply will let us go, after he has the money? We have seen too much, he won't drop us somewhere and say good-bye. Half the Bay City police will be following us. The Commissioner won't let him go so easily, he will kill us at the first opportunity."  
"And what do you think we should do?"  
"Be prepared for it! What ever happens to me, give me your word that you'll stay with Hutch. He needs you..." He looked over to his sleeping friend but before he could say anything else Reeba seized both his hands. She had suddenly understood what Starsky wanted to say. He would sacrifice himself for both of them if it came to it.  
"David, whatever is going on in that curly haired head? **_Don't do it_!** We'll get out of here, all of us, _**alive**_! Ken would never forgive you, so whatever you're planning, forget it!"  
Starsky swallowed hard; Reeba had read his thoughts exactly like Hutch. And exactly like Hutch she would move heaven and hell to stop. But he wouldn't admit it. The fact that maybe Hutch or Reeba ...no, rather he would go through hell than that Hutch and Reeba had to suffer even more. He had promised to protect his partner and exactly this he was resolved to do it and if it came to the worst, he would do it.  
He would sacrifice his life for that of the others.  
Reeba wouldn't understand it, Hutch probably not either. He noticed that Reeba starring at him and he tried to avoid eye contact but a finger raised his chin, he was forced to look into her deep-brown eyes and knew that all his efforts were lost.  
He couldn't leave them alone.  
"David, I know that you would do everything for Ken, but he needs you _now _and _here..._Don't let him go trough this alone, promise it. Like The Musketeers, you remember, all for one and one for all?"  
The pain in her eyes broke Starsky's heard. Reeba was right. Where did he get the right to decide about the lives of the others?

_'It's toughest on the ones left behind, partner.'_

Those were Hutch's words and they had never been more suitable than they were today. They would get through this together, in one or another.  
Starsky was quiet for a while, before he answered with a preoccupied voice: "Yes, like The Musketeers and no one will change it."  
Neither of them was able to say anything else. After a long moment Starsky sighed quietly and laid his still throbbing head again in his hands. He was so damn tired but his brain was working at full speed and he couldn't rest. The only reason, why he didn't break down completely, was Hutch and Reeba.  
"I would like to ask you for one thing, Reeba. You know, Hutch is my best friend and we've been through a lot. I know that he likes you and that you fell the same, but please... be honest with him and don't disappoint him. I won't let a woman to hurt him again."  
Reeba looked at him in confusion but didn't know what to say and while Starsky remained silent, the office door opened and Cole entered the room. With a head movement he pointed behind him.  
"Get up, we're making a trip." Tiredly Starsky got up and walked to the sofa and softly shook Hutch's shoulder.  
"Hey, Hutch wake up, it's time to go. Our taxi arrived!" He whispered quietly. It almost broke his heart to wake Hutch from his urgently needing sleep, but he had no other choice. Two sky-blue eyes cracked open, feverish and confused Hutch looked up, his eyelids heavy as lead.  
"Hey, buddy, you have to wake up, we're getting out of here now. Do you think you can help me to lift you up?"  
Hutch needed some seconds to focus and to remember where he was. He clearly saw Starsky's tense features, his bloody forehead and in a second he knew where he was.  
"Don't know... I'll...try." His voice was only a croak; he hardly could keep his eyes open. Slowly and carefully Starsky raised Hutch's upper body and laid Hutch's arm around his shoulder but the blond cramped and cried out in pain.  
"Okay, easy, Hutch, easy no problem, I got you, let me do all the work. I'll carry you." Starsky whispered soothingly.  
"'m sorry...can't do it..." Hutch said laboriously. He closed his eyes briefly, and then he opened it again. All color had drained from his face and he felt lightheaded.  
"Starsk... don't think it's a good idea. Think I'm getting...sick. Leave... me alone" He gulped and bent over.  
"No way, partner. I'll get you out of this mess, believe me. Come on, I got you. Easy...breathe Hutch...breathe."

Starsky knelt beside his friend and held him in his arms like before. He wrapped another blanket around Hutch's chest, shifted his weight on his heels and lifted Hutch up. Hutch couldn't suppress a scream, as much as he tried. Starsky turned to the door and began to walk; the whole way he murmured reassuring words in Hutch's ear.

'_Lead like lambs to the slaughter and no possibility of escaping...'_ Reeba thought and followed them in silence; there was nothing more she could do now.

The remaining kidnappers waited in the counter area, both had blankets in their hands.  
"To the door, hurry up!" Cole hissed and directed the trio to the foyer.  
It was pitch-dark outside.  
"Now you!" He nodded to Reeba. "Rick and you, you hold the covers, the others in the middle."  
Starsky understood immediately. The kidnappers were using him and Reeba as a human shield, the blankets prevented a clear shot. The waiting marksman, hidden on the roof, had no possibility of getting a clear shot without risking hitting a hostage. He hoped that no nervous finger would suddenly pull the trigger.  
They did as they were told. Starsky was fighting with Hutch's weight that became dead weight in his arms; only the laborious breathing and suppressed loud groan told him that Hutch was still alive. His face was quite grey now and his lips had changed again to a bluish color. He needed professional medical care, now!  
Cole pressed the muzzle of the weapon against Starsky's forehead and grinned at him.  
"One wrong movement, Detective… You go to the car slowly and get in. We'll take a small drive to be sure that nobody follows us. After that everything will be over and nothing will happen to you. Now move!"  
Reeba and Rick spread out the blankets over their heads and the small group went into position. Then both released their grip and from outside nobody knew who was under the blankets.  
"You, wildcat," he glanced over to Reeba. "Go forward, but quite slowly. Rick, you remain behind us, and everybody stay together. Now walk!" Cole ordered. Slowly the group started moving; Reeba opened the door and stepped outside.

TBC


	10. Chapter 9

_Hi everybody! Sorry for being again so late, but RL caught me up for a long time! And to be honest I thought about stopping the whole story because I got some very bad private emails from somebody I don't know...But a BIG THANK YOU to Didi and Prov., who encouraged me and kicked me into my butt to go on! Thanks for being there for me! And THANKS to all the other wonderful and great readers who left reviews or send me mails! You are the BEST! _

**Chapter 9**

The rain and thunderstorm had faded away, but Dobey was still soaked. With a handkerchief he dried his short black hair and stared concentrating at the bank entrance.  
Everything was ready. The escape car was ready, the money in the suitcase stood as requested beside the car on the sidewalk. The car had been wired; a highly efficient direction finder would make the pursuit easier for them. Nat stood beside him, he had spent the last hours with Minnie. Naked fear was written on his face but he tried not to show his feelings. Suddenly he pointed at the bank door excitedly.

"There ...they're coming out!" He shouted out. "I can see my Mom!"

"Be quiet son, I can see her too...**_damn_!"  
**  
He saw Reeba walking slowly out of the bank, followed by a small group, several blankets covered them completely. Another kidnapper came behind them and directed his weapon at the small group.

"Oh my God..." Minnie whispered and wrapped her arm protectively around Nat's shoulders, while Dobey reached for a transmitter.

"The shooting orders are canceled. I repeat: _**Hold your fire**!_ Everybody remain in position until you get new orders."

It only needed **_one_** shot and everything would be lost.  
Slowly the small group went to the van. First Reeba jumped into the car and then the others followed one by one. Dobey could see a limp body being laid down in the loading space. The last kidnapper seized the money bag, jumped into the van and closed the tailgate. The engine roared and the lights switched on, with spinning tires the car drove off and seconds later it had disappeared.  
"Mom?" Nat whispered distressed and he nervously looked at Dobey. "Where are they going?" „

"I don't know, but we'll get them Nat, I promise." Dobey tried to cheer the boy up as best as he could, but he wasn't successful. He looked at the direction finder which gave a steady beep.  
"All units, the black van is driving east on Wilshire Blvd. Keep your distance; I don't want to see any patrol cars. Robbins, you come with me and you Commissioner..."

"I deal with everything here, Captain. That was good work...but the most important thing is that you don't lose the contact with the kidnappers. Save the hostages and bring your men back!" Chief Walters exchanged a short look with Dobey. "You can be sure of that, Chief and if it's the last thing I do!"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Starsky carefully laid his friend down on the floor of the van; Reeba squatted beside him and checked the dressings on Hutch's chest. The wound had started to bleed again, but not so badly as before. Starsky also sat down on the ground and leaned his back against the side of the van. He sat with his legs open so he could support Hutch's hips. Gentle he rested the blond's upper body against his chest. Hutch's head lolled feebly against his shoulder and he had bent his legs to relieve the dreadful pain. His left hand was searching for support while his other lay protectively across his chest. Starsky hugged Hutch's shoulders and tried to make him as comfortable as possible. Every bump or violent changing of direction sent new pain waves through Hutch's body again; he couldn't suppress his pain any longer and moaned loudly.

"Easy Hutch, it'll be over soon. Look at me, Reeba is here, too. Can you hear me?"

_'Please God…Hutch stay with me, don't leave me…please God don't allow it!'_

Hutch winced in pain, his unnaturally shiny deep-set eyes were half open, and his gaze searched for his friend, searching for his strength and comfort.  
"St-arsk...think I ...won't… make it, just hold me...don't leave me alone... scared…"

Starsky eyes filled up with tears, he squeezed his eyes closed and after a while he desperately looked at Reeba. Reeba pressed his shoulder and sadly shook her head.

"I can't do anything more, David." She whispered wearily. She could hardly believe what she had said, she had never felt as helpless as at this moment. She could feel Hutch's strength failing. Starsky looked at her in disbelief as if she had pronounced his sentence of death.

"Hutch, we'll make it, I won't leave you alone, never. I promise!"

Hutch used up his last reserves of strength to open his eyes once more, he looked in the pale, nervous face of his friend. He managed a weak smile and heard his friend's familiar voice and saw the fear in his eyes. He could feel Starsky's fear but he didn't have any more strength left to say something to comfort him. His vision became blurred; slowly it became darker and darker around him.  
Starsky pressed him firmly to his chest and in despair he leaned his chin on the back of Hutch's head. A vehement coughing fit wracked his body and blood spurted out of his mouth. Hutch's body became limp and his hand feebly slid from Starsky's.

Maybe it was time to get used to the thought, to imagine a life, a world without his best friend.

Starsky heard himself call his partner's name over and over again but he knew that Hutch couldn't hear him any more. Holding the twitching and shaking body of his dying friend and letting him know he was not alone was all Starsky could do. Reeba rested her head on Starsky's shoulder, her fingers entwined firmly with Hutch's.

The black van raced madly through the night, after several changes of direction it came to the Bay City limit and turned into a mountain road. At a safe distance an insignificant blue Ford followed the black van and then it was replaced by a brown Chevy.  
Inside the van tense silence ruled. The only thing that could be heard was Starsky's incessant murmuring he was whispering reassuring words into Hutch's ear, not sure whether his half unconscious friend could still hear him. Pure desperation gripped him because he knew that his friend hadn't much time left. His life was flowing so fast from his body like the sand in an hour-glass.

Furiously he bent forward and begged: "Cole, please how much further do you want to drive? You've got everything you wanted, my Captain has fulfilled his part of the agreement and you gave me your _**word**_, now let us go!"

He would never have thought that one day he had to _**beg**_ a criminal for something, but Hutch's life meant more for him than anything else, he would even negotiate with the devil in person if it was necessary.

Cole turned round and grinned broadly at Starsky. He finally had what he always wanted: a policeman _**begging** _him for something!  
"Oh Detective Starsky, why are you so impatient? Now it's getting really interesting! Just a little patience, it won't last long, we'll... Rick, **WATCH OUT!!!"**

Cole's shrill scream made Starsky and Reeba look up frightened. The heavy van suddenly skidded off the wet and slippery road, the brakes screeched and Sam tried to control it. But the car slid around a curve and crashed its left fender into the ledge of the narrow road. The passengers in the vehicle were flung around. Starsky tried desperately to hold on tight to Hutch and Reeba, but when the car skidded off the road the three of them were catapulted around inside. The driver lost control of the car, Starsky heard a loud scream and then he felt a gruesome pain in his left leg and heard bones breaking. Dazzling lights exploded in his head and then he fell into a deep black hole.  
The car tumbled around, fell on its right side, descended into the canyon, overturned several times and then came to rest on its roof with the engine whining.

Cole woke up with a searing pain in his head and tasted blood in his mouth. He was lying on his side; his upper body leaned against the passenger door. The driver's door was flung wide open and he could see Rick's body, hanging half inside half outside the door. His eyes were wide open, staring in the sky.  
He was dead.

Cole heard the wailing of the siren and loud shouts. He tried to sit up but he cried out in pain when he moved his right leg. His ankle was twisted at an odd angle and was obviously broken. He bit down the pain, reached for the money bag, crawled over Rick's body and dropped out of the car. Dragging his injured leg he limped into the canyon and vanished in the dark.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"The van has gone off the road and it has fallen into a gulch. We need the fire brigade and rescue teams immediately!" The voice in the transmitter yelled.

"_**What?!"**_Dobey hit his hand on the steering wheel and furiously pressed the accelerator. "How did it happen? Has anyone survived the accident?"

"The van was going too fast, it slipped on the wet road; we can't say yet if anyone survived."

"I'll be there in a few minutes!"

He looked in the rear-view mirror; Minnie had gathered Nat in her arms, he noticed that the boy had started to cry. Dobey's car drove up the mountain road at high speed, ten minutes later he reached the place of accident. These were the longest minutes of his life, when would this nightmare finally end? The fire service was on site; rescue teams had reached the crashed van and stopped it from slipping off. Dobey noted that the driver's door was open and a lifeless body was lying in the door.

"Minnie, you stay with the boy."

And silently he added: '_I just want to be sure that his mother is still alive.'_

From down the canyon he heard loud shouts; as fast as he could he hurried down the steep slope and he was breathless when he reached the scene of the accident. One of the firemen had managed to open the rear door from the inside and now pushed open both doors. Another fireman lit the inside of the car with a strong flashlight.

"Hurry up, I need the paramedics, this doesn't look very good…" He roared and waved his arms urgently. Dobey joined the other men and followed the paramedics.

"Dear God!"

It slipped out of his mouth. He would never get this picture out of his head. The lifeless bodies of the three hostages were lying on top of each other. A paramedic knelt beside Starsky and was feeling for his pulse.

"We need some more help here," he looked over to his partner who examined Hutch and Reeba.

"I have a pulse, but his leg doesn't look so good, possibly multiple fractures what about yours?"

"The girl is alive, her right arm has broken, the blond...well, he has a pulse, but very weak, he has a chest injury bleeding heavily, looks like a gun shot wound. But he's in big trouble with his breathing. Seems to be several fractured ribs and a punctured lung. He needs oxygen; we have to keep an eye on him because we might have to tub him. Call in to Memorial and tell them that we're coming in with three trauma patients and we need two helicopters, immediately!"

Dobey drew a deep breath, _they're alive, injured but alive_.

"Sir, you know these victims?" One of the paramedics asked.

"Yeah, I'm their captain, these are Detective Starsky and Hutchinson, and this is Reeba Hunter."

Four more paramedics arrived and helped to take care of the injured victims. They put them on stretchers and brought them outward.  
One paramedic radioed to Memorial and the doctor told them to splint the broken bones and to attach cervical collars around their necks to protect any spine injury. They added a glucose i.v. and oxygen.  
Two kidnappers were dead, but one had disappeared. Dobeyordered Robbins to put an APB on the fugitive kidnapper. He himself stayed close to his injured detectives and kept a careful eye on them as the paramedics worked to get them stable.  
Tom, one of the medics who monitored the vital signs of the injured, suddenly noticed the blond haired man open his eyes for a short moment and look around; then his head fell to one side. The paramedic reacted immediately.

"Detective... can you hear me? Ken? Come on, Officer stay with me..." He felt for a pulse and rubbed hard over Hutch's sternum, to provoke a pain reaction, but there was no response.

"Damn... Kevin, I need some help here, we're losing him. We have to start CPR and I need a tube here."

The medic pushed back Hutch's head and opened his mouth. He inserted a laryngoscope into his throat and slipped the tube into his windpipe. Then he checked the right position with his stethoscope and he started to give artificial respiration with the bag. Meanwhile his partner had attached an i.v. in Hutch's arm had suspended a drip and now started with the CPR.

_He was swimming, the sea was cold and dark, and the waves let his body make bob up and down. The waves dashed against his head and then he suddenly found himself lying on the beach. He lay in the surf and the waves washed around his legs. He opened his eyes and saw the stars shining above him and he looked into the dark sky. _

Hutch was lying on his back, his eyes wide open. He heard loud voices, engine noises, saw lights flashing. He looked around. A thought flashed through his head.

_Starsky, where was Starsky?  
_  
His best friend, his partner, he couldn't see him. He was the most important person in the world and now he was gone. Had he lost him? Up to the end Hutch had heard the familiar voice; the reassuring words had surrounded him like a warming cover. But now icy cold surrounded him. He felt infinitely empty, as if somebody had stolen his whole vitality, his soul.

He had failed.

His friend was gone.

Hutch closed his eyes and turned his head aside, a single tear ran down his cheek.

_He dived into the sea and was swimming again. He wanted to find his partner and knew he would never come back again until he had found his partner. He dived deeper and deeper into the dark sea and disappeared._

Horrified Dobey watched as the tube was pushed into Hutch's pharynx and a medic tried cardiac massage to get his heart beating. But when Hutch didn't show any sign of reaction the medic injected some drugs into the IV and started again with his massage and watched the small heart monitor closely. After some more CPR rounds suddenly the monitor indicated a slow heartbeat and everybody heard the quiet but steady beep.  
Kevin nodded briefly, the beep was music to his ears. "We got him back again; now let's bring him up to the street. We have got no time left."  
Dobey moved up closer and knelt down beside his detective and touched him gently on the arm.

"Will he make it?"

"If he's a fighter... he lost a lot of blood, he has got a punctured lung a couple of broken ribs...he's in a very bad shape... I'm sorry to tell you that it's so bad, but expect the worse. Now I'm sorry, Captain, but we have to go."

"What about Detective Starsky and Miss Hunter?"

"Oh well... both are stable for now, they have a few fractures and your man has a possible a severe head injury, but he'll survive. If you want, you can fly with the chopper... come on." Kevin and his colleague reached for the gurney and started to walk up the canyon.

"Please wait, Miss Hunter's son is here... can he see her?"

"It's better if the boy waits until the doctor has seen her in the hospital; I don't want to frighten him."

Dobey waved to an officer. "Brandon, tell Officer Kaplanthat she should driveNat to the hospital, I'll fly with Detective Hutchinson to Memorial. Look after Detective Starsky and Miss Hunter; I want to make sure someone is with them when they wake up."

"Sure Captain, I'll take care of it."  
Dobey and the officer hurried after the paramedics and climbed up the canyon back to the road.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Reeba groaned quietly, every movement caused her terrible pain, she had the feeling that she had been run over by a quarterback from the LA Rams. She didn't know how long she was lying in that bed; hours, days? Carefully she tried to move around a little to get more comfortable but she was rewarded by more dreadful pain.  
All she could remember was that she had briefly woken up in the van. She lay on her belly; her right arm was lying under her, completely distorted at an odd angle. When someone turned her carefully on her back, she felt the same pain and had lost consciousness immediately. When she woke up in the hospital, a policeman was sitting beside her bed and he assured her that everything was fine. He couldn't tell her anything about the two officers, but he told her that the doctor would come to see her soon. The policeman walked out of the room and left Reeba to her thoughts.  
Reeba looked at her injured arm and she was glad that she didn't have to go through the examination procedure in fully conscious. Her right arm was propped up with some pillows and had been put in a cast from her wrist to the upper arm.  
The X-ray pictures, hanging beside her bed on the wall, needed no explanation. Ulna and radius were broken nice and clean and the upper arm above the elbow too. And to top it all her wrist seemed to be broken in several places; maybe she had fallen on her outstretched hand with her full weight. For the next six to eight weeks she wouldn't be able to move her fingers.  
She couldn't tell which part of her body didn't hurt, she was covered with bruises and cuts, and she had a violent headache. The door to her room opened and a doctor about forty years old came in.

"Hello, Miss Hunter, I'm glad that you're awake! My name is Dr. Gilbert. How do you feel?"

"Like I was run over by a quarterback! – Please Dr. Gilbert, it's very important for me, could you tell me something about the two policemen? We came into the hospital together. How are they?"

Dr. Gilbert sat down next to her bed and suddenly looked very sad.

"Well, I thought you were more interested in your own medical problems…"

"Well it looks as if my arm is broken and I saw the x-rays over there, so you don't have to waist your time in telling me something I can actually _see_ and _feel_." She winced when she moved a bit too fast.

The doctor raised his eyebrows in surprise; he had not expected _**this**_ kind of reaction.

But he was used to all kind of human reactions and so he smiled at his impatient patient. "First of all you have to calm down and then…"

"Doc, please… I **_will_ **calm down if _**you**_ tell me everything I want to know!" Reeba interrupted the poor doctor and tried to suppress her raising anger. "I know the damn hospital rules, you're not allowed to tell me anything, but please…I have to know it…" she begged.

The doctor sighed deeply.

**'_Seems to be getting to be an especially difficult case here!'_  
**  
After a while he looked at Reeba and saw the desperation in her face and felt sorry for the injured young woman. Slowly he nodded his head. "I understand you all have been through a lot and Detective Hutchinson owes you his life, so…"

"So… how bad is it?"

"Well, Detective Starsky has a severe concussion, but fortunately there is no bleeding or a cranial fracture. His left kneecap has broken and his left ankle has broken in several pieces. We have operated him, wired the patella and put together the jigsaw puzzle in his ankle. Because of the heavy swelling we haveput the leg into a splint to prevent any nerve damages. In three or four days we'll be able to fix the leg in a cast, but he will haveat least two weeks of bed rest. Then he will be not allowed to put any weight on it for several weeks but he can walk around on crutches. If he follows my orders the leg should heal nicely without any further problems, but now it's important that he get as much rest as possible." The doctor stopped and sighed again. "Detective Starsky will be in a lot of pain, so we have given him some strong painkiller. Now he's in recovery, but he'll certainty sleep for several hours. – But what about you? I'm sure; you're in pain and please be honest! I know that nurses are the worst patients beside doctors and policemen. So, your arm is in pretty bad shape, you need anything?" The doctor carefully touched the fingertips of her bandaged arm and was pleased to see no swelling or bruising. Reeba winced, as the movement caused her some new pain.

"Yeah, to be honest… it's bad; some pain killers would be nice!"

Now Dr. Gilbert smiled and tried to cheer her up. "Believe me. It looks worse than it is. In eight weeks you'll get rid of that cast and with some physiotherapy you'll be as good as new. You only need to be patient. The nurse will bring you something immediately and then you try and get some rest and _that's_ doctor's orders."

"When can I see Detective Starsky?"

"As I've already told you, he's still in recovery and you should keep this arm as still as possible. Just get some sleep and then we see what happens, okay?"

"I'll be good, honest! But what about Detective Hutchinson...I know he was in bad shape, but I've to know what happened to him!"  
Dr. Gilbert could hear the fear in her words and tried to calm her.

"Dr. Samuels is looking after him. From what I've heard he had a lot of difficulties stabilizing him before he could take him into surgery. He almost lost him in the ER... he's still in surgery. As soon as I see him I'll tell him that he should speak with you, all right?"

Reeba sighed and tried to digest the news. "Thanks a lot for being so honest with me, Dr. Gilbert. Have you seen my son? Is he here somewhere?"

"Yes, he's waiting outside and can't wait to see you. However, you remember, you need your rest! Only five minutes!"

"That would be nice, doctor, thank you very much!"

The doctor smiled, said goodbye and left the room.

A few seconds later Nat stormed into the room, a nurse at his side and stopped for one moment, startled to see his mother with the thick plaster cast. Reeba smiled weakly and waved over him.

"Hey it's really me under all these bandages! How're you doing?"

Nat's eyes were full of tears. "Mom... I was so afraid... thought I would never see you again..." Sobbing he fell beside her on his knees and he laid his head on her chest to cry. Reeba softly touched his head.

"Believe me...I'm going nowhere for a long, long time," she murmured and her eyelids became as heavy as lead. She noticed that the nurse put a syringe in the drip and then she fell in a deep sleep.

TBC


	11. Chapter 10

_Okay, here is Chapter 10. Like Chapter 9 it's not the best I've ever written and it took me a lot of time to finish it so don't expect too much! I have to thank my beta and all the wonderfull people who encouraged me (yes I mean **you** too Trish!) to go on with my work. You all mean a lot to me! I don't when I'm able to finish the story, I think it will last a little bit! So forgive me my slowness and have a little patience_!

**Chapter 10**

_It was beautiful here.  
Warming sunrays were shining on him and warming his body. He could hear the splashing of water, the waves breaking against the cliff- face. He felt sand between his fingers, also something sharp, maybe small seashells or stones.  
Where was he?  
Maybe he was lying on a beach somewhere near his apartment. Probably he had a week-end off and now he was relaxing on the beach.  
But he was alone.  
Where was his partner?  
Normally he would be sitting beside him and incessantly talked to him; about childhood memories or his last meeting with a woman. However, this time it was too quiet. He couldn't hear his friend's voice.  
He felt a pleasant warmth building up in him, felt the sunrays on his skin. It was really wonderful here. There was no reason to leave but something wasn't right.  
He felt lonely.  
Why was he alone here?_

_Where was his partner? Where was his friend?  
__  
__He __decided __to look __after __him __but __where __should __he __begin? __He wasn't on the beach, he couldn't see him.__The waves became stronger, reached his shoulders and floated him out into the sea. __  
Maybe he should search there; the waves would carry him and float him out into the open sea.  
He would find him, he was sure. He had to be out there, and he would find him._

_Now he was swimming; the waves dragged him further out to the open sea. __Suddenly the waves were higher and rougher, they broke over his head and saltwater splashed into his face. _

_He blinked and tried to fight against the waves, but they came higher and higher. His body was flung round in a swirl. He struggled back to the surface, but was immediately pressed under water again. He was fighting for oxygen and opened his eyes wide.  
It was dark and he heard loud thunder, something flashed and he felt raindrops on his cheeks. He gasped for air, the waves towered up round him, whirled his body around like a doll. Suddenly he discovered another body floated in the waves. __He __didn't __recognize __the __face __but __it seemed __somehow __familiar __to __him. __Dark __curly __hair __surround ed __his __face; he __tried __to touch __the __body __and __reached __for __the __faceless __head._

_He saw a pale face; deep blue eyes looked at him. _

_Suddenly he remembered the face. It was his friend.  
His stretched out his hand to seize the body, but when he tried to hold on to him and beg him to stay with him a wave rolled over both of them and his friend disappeared into the depths.  
He cried out, tried to hold on to him, but he had disappeared. Once more he cried out._

_His friend, his partner, he had lost him._

_He had to go to him if he didn't save him he was lost, he would die. He yelled after him._

_"Don't leave me alone, I'm scared, get me out here, don't let my stay alone!"_

_But the body had disappeared._

_He had lost him._

_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

Starsky slowly woke up from the deep, black unconsciousness with the worst headache of his life. These things were relative and it was not the first one but it was the worse he ever had. He was lying in a soft, warm bed and because of the smell that hit his nose he was sure that he definitely was in a hospital.  
He had the feeling that he had slept for an eternity. A pleasant feeling spread through his body, his aching and tense muscles relaxed.

Safety.

He was safe now, no kidnappers, and no menacing weapons. Somebody called his name as from a distance, the voice penetrated into his sub consciousness, but he was still too tired to open his eyes again. Starsky recognized the voice, it provided security and shelter, but he didn't understand what the voice told him. But it calmed him down and so he trusted it. The voice was very soft it was getting more and more insistent.

He heard **'help'** and **'Get me out of here'**. What did this voice want him to do, it was nice here, and he didn't want to go away.

But the voice insisted.

_'Please don't leave me alone! I'm scared! Get me out of here.'_

Now the voice had a body, he saw two sky-blue eyes staring at him, begging. He knew these eyes, as well as he also knew the voice. The imploring eyes closed and then the body disappeared. Starsky wanted to reach for the body, to hold on tight but the voice was quiet now.

Starsky murmured something incomprehensible his head hurt badly and when he tried to turn on his side a razor-sharp pain flashed through his left leg and with a loud groan he rolled back again. Again he heard a voice, it was something different, and louder this time. Somebody lifted his eyelid and a bright light beam assaulted his pupil. He turned his head aside and with his right hand he hit out at the troublemaker. Whoever it was, he didn't want to wake up now, he loved the security and warmth of the place; it was too tempting.  
Unfortunately the throbbing pain in his left leg stopped him from returning. Again he groaned quietly, the dazzling light was there again and this time it was shining in his other eye too. He squeezed his eyes tight so that this uninvited guest couldn't disturb him in the dark

But the light didn't let up. This time it shone with full intensity in both his eyes, no matter how firmly he squeezed both eyelids, the light drilled its way through the darkness.  
Now another, brighter voice was talking to him, it seemed familiar. His sub consciousness told him that maybe now would be the right time to listen to this voice, even if he didn't understand exactly what it wanted. Carefully and very, very slowly Starsky opened his eyes.

Confused he looked around; his gaze was wandering round the unfamiliar room. All of a sudden he became conscious of where he was.  
The familiar smell of disinfectant returned and he could hear the steady, slow peep of a heart monitor. His veiled, blurred vision fixed two dark points above him. After a while he recognized Reeba's familiar brown eyes looking at him anxiously. The second person he couldn't remember stood beside his bed and wrote something on a card.

"David...Thank God you're awake! Welcome back! You really frightened us!" Reeba's nervous expression changed to a relieved smile. She bent down to him and softly touched with her fingers over his forehead. Surprised Starsky looked at the young woman.

"W- what?"

Starsky was frightened by his own croaking voice. Why he was so damn tired? His head felt like cotton and his eyelids were as heavy as lead. He cleared his throat

"I...Thirst...!"

"Oh ...yes, here!" Reeba passed a mug with a straw to him and Starsky greedily drank the cool water while Reeba supported his head. Relieved he fell back on his pillow and he closed his eyes.  
"David...come on now, don't fall asleep again! Do you remember anything? Do you know where you are?"  
Again he heard Reeba's worried voice directly beside his ear. Of course he remembered. The car accident, the hospital and soon she'd be asking him about the current president of the United States and wanting to know his age.

But what else?

His thoughts drifted off, he was too tired to think about such things now, but this time Reeba's voice became more insistent and she turned his head

"Hey, stay awake...you've slept long enough!" She tapped his face softly with her fingers. "Don't you dare, officer!"

Starsky blinked and this time forced himself to open his eyes and look at the two people beside his bed.

"That's it! David...you really had us frightened the last few days. It's time that you stayed amongst the living."  
Starsky slowly nodded his head, confused he looked round and tried to turn on his side once more but he couldn't, new pain flashed through his leg and he cried out.

"Where...where...uugghh...God...my leg…it hurts…" His fingers fumbled for his thigh.

"Please, David, lay still...will you?"

"Reeba ...? What…what happened...?" Starsky looked round searching for something familiar. "Where ... where's Hutch?"

"Sshht...David...I'll tell you everything, but please relax and don't try to move." Starsky saw Reeba secretly wiped some tears away and clasped his right hand in her left.

"David, do you remember? The transporter crashed into the ledge and fell into a gulch. Your left leg is broken and you have a concussion, but everything is fine."

Starsky blinked and he could see more clearly now. His left leg hurt like hell; it was in a splint, bandaged from his toes up to his thigh and was propped up with several cushions. It felt twice as thick as his good leg and throbbed even worse than his skull. He clenched his teeth and suppressed a groan. Carefully he touched his aching forehead and got a better look at Reeba. He saw that she had been crying; her eyes were red-rimmed. Her face was bruised; her right arm was in a thick white cast and was lying on the armrest of the wheel chair. He could see that she was worried and it was obvious that she was trying to hide it.

"Reeba...what...what about you... you look as bad...as I-I feel. How long have I been here and where's Hutch? I-I know he's injured." He looked around wildly but the bed beside him was empty.

A nasty feeling crept up on him; Hutch wasn't with him in the same room. He knew his friend had been in very serious condition, but how bad was it?

"Hey calm down...nothing much happened to me..." Sh emanaged a forced smile. "I was more concerned about you! You have been unconscious for the last three days!"

"What...three days?! What happened?"

"Year... Poor Dr. Gilbert here was worried that your head injury was worse than he expected. But the x-rays found a fully working brain in that stubborn skull! But please, don't pull a stunt like this again, do you hear? You scared me!"

Starsky looked at them without understanding a word.

"Hutch...where...where is he, he's injured...I-I want to see him..."

"Wow, Detective, stay calm!" Dr. Gilbert said. "You've been out of things for the last couple of days."

He raised Starsky's bed to the seated position and pushed his patient back against it. "Relax, your body knows what it needs, rest. Don't overdo it now." The doctor said with a firmly. "You and your partner have kept us on the trot for some days, you know that?!"

"Okay doctor, sorry for causing you so much trouble, but where's...where's...my partner? I know he's here in the hospital. Tell me, what's wrong with him, or I.."

"Call the police?!" In spite of all Reeba had to keep back a grin.

_'Like The Musketeers'_

"You have been in a coma with no reactions for three days so you were in another room."

But Starsky wasn't listening to the doctor.

"Reeba!!! What's the matter with Hutch?" He looked at her. "Please, he's...is he...?"

"No, he's alive, but..."

'**_But'_**...again there it was, this damn **_'But'_** he had felt all the time.

Reeba sighed, took a deep breath and exchanged a brief look with Dr. Gilbert.

"Okay Detective..." Dr. Gilbert lowered his voice. "I think I'll get Dr. Samuels in here and he can talk to you..."

"I don't want to talk to another doctor...I want to see Hutch..._**now**_!"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Half an hour later Starsky sat in a wheel chair in a small waiting room of the intensive care unit. He had to use every power of persuasion he could master to convince his doctor that he had to go to his friend now and right away. And his doctor's warnings that he definitely would risk his health, couldn't dissuade him from his plan either. No power in the world could stop him and finally, the doctor had given way and stopped warning him about the consequences.  
Two nurses helped Starsky to get out of the bed. Thisleft him exhausted but he managed to get into the wheel chair. The doctor had given him a strong painkiller and his headache had also decreased to a bearable level. He was a little dizzy but as long as he didn't turn his head too fast it was tolerable.  
Reeba had to have another x-ray of her arm and so Starsky was sitting alone in the waiting room and was waiting to see his friend.

Starsky stared at the clock on the wall and then at the door. It seemed to take forever but finally, it opened. A tired, exhausted doctor in blue clothes came in, his eyes looked tired and pearls of sweat stood out on his forehead. It only took Starsky one look to see that the doctor had had no rest the last 72 hours.

"Detective David Starsky?"

"Hmm...Yes, I'm David Starsky...what...what about my partner?"

Starsky felt a thick knot in his throat and swallowed hard. The doctor took a seat and looked at Starsky.

"My name's Dr. Samuel, I'm your friend's attending doctor and surgeon." He sounded sad when he looked into Starsky's deep blue eyes, appraising how much of the truth he could tell the injured detective. Starsky's eyes were so full of fear, but at the same time a spark of hope also flickered there. In spite of this, Samuels knew that he had to tell him the truth even if it was difficult.

"Detective...I know that you want to see your friend, but I want to talk to you first."

Starsky became more and more alarmed,why was the doctor beating around the bush?

"Doc...Please I need to know the truth, is my friend still alive?"Starsky felt choked with fear.

"Detective, your friend has suffered a massive gun shot wound in his abdomen, multiple rib fractures and an infection is developing."

'He has'...Present, not past.' Starsky thought with relief.

"The bullet shattered two ribs and damaged several veins. As you probably know his lung collapsed. He had internal bleeding; we have removed the fragments and stopped the bleeding. Because of the car accident another four ribs cracked and have caused a haemathorax. We have placed a chest tube, wired the broken ribs and ventilated the lung again. One of the ribs injured his heart muscle and caused a massive hematoma in that area. His heart stopped twice, but we managed to bring him back. It was difficult, but we stopped that bleeding too, but I can't say what damage was done to his heart. We have attached him to a respirator and we'll watch him very closely."

The doctor hesitated and watched Starsky very carefully. The last thing he needed now was one more patient collapsing with worry about his friend. All color had drained from the detective's already pale face and he looked petrified.

"Ken has lost a lot of blood and was dehydrated because of developing an infection; he got three units of blood, but he might need even more. Fortunately, no arteries are damaged...he would have bled to death in a few minutes. If the bullet hadn't been removed and the wound treated so well...Ken wouldn't have had a chance." Dr. Samuel said emphatically.

"Yes...Reeba..." Starsky slowly nodded like in trance. "She was great!"

Samuels smiled. "Detective Hutchinson owes her his life, but..."

"But what... Doc... He's alive, isn't he?"

Why was there always a 'but'?

Full of fear Starsky gripped the armrest of the wheel chair until his knuckles went white. "Please...I have to know the truth!"

"David..." Now Samuels' voice was very quiet and gentle, reassuringly he laid his hand on Starsky's and felt him trembling.

"Your partner is a very, very sick man, he's still in an extremely critical state and he's suffering. We have done what we were able to do but everything else is no longer in our hands. The human body can only take this kind of thing is up to a certain point and your friend's body has taken more than most people can handle. I'm sorry to tell you...but your friend is dying."

"No...no...No!" Starsky cried out. "He can't!"

Dr. Samuels had sat down beside Starsky and put his arm around his shoulder.

"Ken's condition's very serious, first it seemed as if he was back on the road to recovery and now it's as if he had suddenly stopped fighting, as if he had given up. And if this condition doesn't change soon, then ...then we'll lose him. He's suffering... and he's in so much pain. Detective...we have to make a decision..."

Suddenly Starsky was aware of what the doctor tried to tell him.

"You...you mean to allow him to die?!?"

Pure terror spread over Starsky's face.

"You want... no...that can't be true, I won't allow it... he can't die...I won't let him…" He shook his head as if he was in a trance.

"David..." Dr. Samuel looked firmly into his eyes, his voice as soft as silk. "Actually your friend is suffering more pain that anyone should have to endure. We only want to make it as comfortable as possible for him and I think this is what you would want. We have come to a point where we must decide what to do. We just don't want Ken to suffer even more."

Starsky felt tears slowly running down his cheeks and a deep emptiness spread in his mind. He couldn't suppress a quiet convulsive sobbing and desperately closed his eyes.

'God, Hutch...please...What should I do now, please tell me what I should do now!'

'Get me out of here...I'm scared...don't leave me alone...'

He remembered the voice, this voice he had heard in his dream!

Hutch!

"Doc...please, I also don't want him to suffer...but, he doesn't deserve this...I know Hutch. He would never give up so easy. I-I...please let me see him; I know that he needs me."  
Samuelssilently looked atStarsky for a long time, then he smiled.

"Of course you can…go to him... and David?" Starsky looked up. "I understand your pain and your fear, nobody wants their friend to die, believe me. If you urge Ken to fight, then we'll do everything for him to get better. But at the moment he has given up and maybe you're the one who can bring him to the point to start fighting again."

"Dr. Samuel", Starsky had calmed down now and he directed his deep blue eyes firmly upon the doctor. "I will bring him back, and if it's the last that I do in this world. I know that he wants to come back, he just can't find the way."

Starsky remembered his dream again...was it really only a dream, or did he see Hutch's desperate soul. He wasn't sure, but he had heard his voice, his begging.

'Don't leave me alone, I'm scared, get me out of here!'

Hutch was caught in his own private hell and he would get him out there, no matter what all medical experts would say.

Samuels saw the pure desperation in the face of the tired detective, his eyes full of tears and nodded.

"Okay detective just give me a few minutes. I'll talk to the nurses. I'll leave you for a moment." Slowly he got up and went out of the room.

Starsky blinked and wiped away the tears that were welling up.

He felt alone, as if he had fallen into a deep black hole and there was nobody there to get him out again.

"He's dying…"

No, that can't be true!

"He's dying..."

It's a lie!

"He's dying..."

'He's strong, I know it. He never would do this... He's my best friend... Oh God I'm so tired...'

"I'm so sorry to tell you, but your friend is dying..."

Over and over again he heard these words like a sledgehammer in his brain. He didn't know what to do, he felt like crying but there were no more tears in his eyes, he felt like laughing at the absurd words, but there was a deep knot in his gut telling him that it might be the truth.

He was so scared. Never ever in his life had he felt so lonely and scared. It was like spider climbing up his heart. Nobody would be there to touch him, to rest a hand on his shoulder, to tell him that everything was going to be all right or simply to laugh with him.

Nobody was there.

He was alone.

He fought back his tears, pressed his palms against his eyes, took a deep sob and closed his eyes.

He began to shiver uncontrollably.

Then he heard himself crying. For the first time in nearly 24 hours he allowed himself to be weak. He heard himself sob as the tears ran down his cheeks and neck but he didn't care.

A nightmare.

Yes, this whole day was a terrible nightmare and he would wake up in just a few minutes and everything would be all right.

But he knew that he wouldn't wake up.

He knew that he would still be sitting in this damn chair in this damn room and would be hearing somebody saythose damn words over and over again.

"Sorry, he's dying..."

And he couldn't do anything about it.

Because he knew it was the truth.

With unseeing eyes he stared back at the door, hoping somebody would come, giving him the missing comfort of a human being. Suddenly he realized what the words would mean to him.

Nobody would ever be there to laugh with him, to play games with him, to give him a hug when something felt terribly wrong or to cry with him.

Like now.

Hutch wouldn't be there, he, his best friend and partner, he, the only one in this crazy world who meant something to him. He, who was more of a brother than his own flesh and blood.

Like twins.

His other half, his soul.

He wouldn't be there anymore.

His eyes were burning with tears now, a piercing scream burst out of him, more like a wounded animal than human. He rested his head in his arms and wept.

Suddenly he felt cold fingers on his neck and a hand touching his back. He heard a softly speaking voice soothing and whispering words of comfort in his ear.

When he looked up he saw Reeba's deep-brown eyes meeting his. Her tear-stained, sorrowful eyes were looking at him and her hand softly touched his head, wiping away his tears with a thumb.

Now he knew that he wouldn't be alone any more.

Maybe now there was somebody who was watching over him.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A few minutes later a nurse let Starsky and Reeba into the small intensive care room then she quietly closed the door. Reeba discreetly waited in the background in an uncomfortable plastic chair. She didn't want to interfere in this very private moment.  
The light in the room was very dim; the only noises were the steady peep of the heart monitor and the rhythmical hiss of the respirator. Starsky never had seen so much medical equipments in such a narrow space.

Starsky involuntarily stopped breathing; of course he had seen his friend lying in a hospital bed before. But he had never seen him in such a bad condition, never so vulnerable.  
Hutch was lying flat on his back, his whole chest bandaged up with white dressings. A thin catheter was fixed near his right collarbone and several drips were connected to it. An i.v. was inserted in the back of his right hand, a blood transfusion slowly dripped there. On the left of the bed several drainage tubes could be seen under the blanket, a respiration tube pumped constantly and oxygen was supplied by the artificial respirator that almost completely covered Hutch's face.

His face.

The last time Starsky had seen it white and waxen like now was some years ago in exactly the same hospital, in exactly the same bed. When Hutch had that plague and had to fight for his life for several days.

'When he sleeps he looks like a small boy,' it came through his mind. Now this small boy was fighting for his life again.

Starsky rolled his wheelchair closer to the bed, so that he could comfortably reach Hutch's limp hand. Starsky quietly sighed and laid the big floppy hand with the long slender fingers in his smaller stronger hand and forgot everything round him. He only saw his seriously injured friend fighting for his life with every breath. The doctor was right, Hutch was suffering, and it almost broke his heart to see him suffering so much. His whole misery was reflected in his face and Starsky needed no doctor to tell him that his friend was struggling with death. He swore to himself that he would not leave this room, until Hutch's soul was ready to return again, no matter what he had to do.  
Starsky laid his right hand on Hutch's chest and felt the slow sluggish heartbeat knocking against his palm. Feeling it calmed him down; it was the only really sign of life he could find at the moment. Hutch's respiration was completely taken over by a machine, his lungs filled with oxygen only with its help.  
Starsky's hand moved to Hutch's face. It felt so unnaturally cold, his cheeks were so pale. Warily he stroked a hand over Hutch's forehead and with his fingertips he followed the very fair eyebrows. He sighed quietly.

"Hutch... I'm here now...it's time to wake up again, you hear me? You don't know what you're missing here! Your favorite private nurse is here too and she's quite wild to see your blue eyes again! You really don't want to annoy her, do you?" Tears streamed down his face and then it burst out of him.

"God...Hutch...why are you doing this? Why! Why?" Starsky's voice was one single hoarse scream. "You stubborn mule...Doctor told me you stopped fighting...but you don't...uh? You're just resting. But what do you think should I do now...I can't do this without you, Hutch! Please don't leave me now, you hear me...don't you dare..." Starsky desperately stared at the armada of medical equipment helping his friend to stay alive and then he looked back at Hutch's pale face.  
Dark rings surrounding his eyes, sunken cheeks, the pale bloodless lips. Nothing was left of the man whose features Starsky knew so well that he could paint them with his eyes closed.  
Starsky raised Hutch's hand and his head fell against it. Again the tears welled up in his eyes and this time he didn't fight them back.  
He cried for his dying friend and for everything he already missed now. The shared laughter, the evenings sitting in front of the television eating pizza, the firm touch of a strong hand and most of all the feeling of not being alone.  
He didn't hold back and cried out loud when he was overwhelmed by his feelings. Reeba stayed put in her chair; she couldn't help Starsky now. She was glad, that Starsky allowed his feelings to show now; the grief, the fury and the pain, before they drove him to despair. Even if his soul was one big wound now, it would heal sometime and would make him even stronger.  
After the sobbing and groaning had subsided little by little, Starsky slowly lifted his head and looked up and waited for a small sign, a blink, a twitching, but nothing. Something that could indicate that Hutch had heard or felt him.

He was lying motionless in his bed, still kept alive by a couple of machines.

'God please, don't let him to go...give me my friend back, I need him...I can't let him die, I can't do this.'

Starsky had never felt so lonely until this moment.

It's toughest on the ones left behind!'

'Yeah...but I don't want to be the one left behind! I miss you Hutch.'

Starsky looked over to Reeba and smiled weakly.

"You remember...I told you that Hutch and I went through a lot," he began finally with a fragile voice. "One and a half years ago I was lying in a bed, chained to those damned machines, with a tube like that in my throat and a lot of other needles and tubes in my body." He closed his eyes when the painful memories welled up again. Reeba slid her chair closer to him and she tried to comfort his anguish. Softly she laid her left hand on Starsky's and tried to give him some power to go on.  
Starsky looked at her.

"It was an attack in the Police Department garage. Hutch and I had pushed a criminal too far and stepped on his toes and then...three shots from close range...The doctors said, I was nearly dead, cardiac arrest, coma. But I survived, they couldn't explain it, regarded me as a medical miracle. But I know why I survived it... Hutch brought me back! Believe me I didn't have any other reason to come back, if this stubborn guy hadn't been there. He didn't let me die."

He fell silent and was quiet for a long time. Then after a while he continued with in lower voice.

"Hutch has always felt guilty. The feeling almost ate him up, he held himself responsible for the fact that I was hit. He had failed, he has told me, and now I have to suffer. Such an idiot...It was an accident, bad luck, call it what you want, but never his fault!  
He was there, all the time in the hospital, day and night. He nearly drove the nurses and doctors insane. Every minute he was with me, he joined every physiotherapy session, endured my bad moods in silence and believe me, that was certainly the hardest one! After I was discharged from the hospital he lived in my apartment for nearly six months and looked after me. Cooked my food, washed my laundry, paid my bills and finished off his job as a cop. He's a mad guy, isn't he?" Starsky laughed. "And now? Look at what this fool has done... Only because he thought he had to protect me he's lying in this damn bed. As if he had to pay for guilt...God Hutch, why...**_why_**? It wasn't you're fault...never ever ..." He desperately squeezed his eyes shut and put his head in his neck.

Reeba softly pressed his hand.

"Dave… Ken had to do it, for sure Idon'tknowhimaswellasyou do but he had to, he wanted to protect you. That night in the bank, he told me that you're like his little brother. Well, a big brother has to protect his little brother. He loves you and so he has to do it, David. Maybe he also felt guilty, but don't you have them now too? Believe me, Ken would do everything for you...he would also die for you if he had to."

Now her voice was so quiet and gentle, she was whispering only.

"He loves you so much that he didn't want to watch something terrible happen to you again. Don't get mad at him. Take it as a gift, a very special gift."

Starsky couldn't prevent the tears any more that ran in streams down his face. He slowly nodded; Reeba was right.

Hutch's sacrifice was a present, he himself was the present and he would be a bad friend if he didn't accept it. He would unpack it and keep and carry it always in his heart, until he could transmit it maybe one day to somebody, who loved Hutch just like he loved him.

A sobbing came from down his throat, his voice was croaky as he took a deep breath and looked deeply in Reeba's eyes.

"Yes...I know, but it's so damn hard...it really hurts! I can't let him go, the thought of it kills me. I just want my friend back...You know... when I was unconscious...I had a dream, I dreamed that Hutch called me. He shouted out, he was afraid and implored me to help him. I tried to hold him back, but he just disappeared.... God, I had the chance to bring him back but I failed!  
I don't know how I can help him now, Reeba, how should I bring him back?"

With shaking fingers he stroked Hutch's pale face. "Do you hear me Hutch? Come back to me, please, I need you..."  
Starsky buried his face in his arm. Reeba glided softly over his curly hair and quietly whispered incomprehensible words in his ear.

_A voice penetrated to his ear, he knew this voice. It told him a story but he didn't understand it. With every word this voice got louder and he heard how somebody called his name._

_'You know this voice, listen to it.'_

_Maybe it was really better to listen to this voice for one moment._

_'Come back to me, please, I need you.'_

_It was...the voice of his friend... but his friend had drowned, he was dead...who was talking to him then?_

_He decided not to listen to this voice, it caused him pain and he didn't want to endure more pain. It was already enough punishment for him that he wasn't able to hold on his friend and he had disappeared before his eyes. Whoever spoke there, he couldn't endure this voice much longer, and it hurts too much._

Soon the sobs and words died down and Starsky looked up. With the back of his hand he wiped the tears away and managed a forced smile.  
"Uh... a nice friend am I, what? I'm wailing like a lap dog..."  
Somebody laid a heavy hand on his shoulder; Starsky amazedly turned round and looked in the frowning worried face of Captain Dobey.

"Captain...!"

"Starsky, my God...You frightened the life out of me. When I saw your empty room, I thought..."

"Excuse me, Cap, I didn't know that I was so important...but I had to see Hutch first...he's bad, Cap, really bad..."

"Yeah Starsky, I know..." Dobey laid his big hand on Starsky's shoulder and squeezed it firmly. "So it's good that that you want him with us. Hutch needs you more than ever... But because of you two I'll be grey before I get any older..." He took out a handkerchief and mopped away the sweat off his forehead. "But here's somebody who was looking for you." Dobey pointed with his head to the door.

"Nat!"

A grin spread over Starsky's face and if he could he would have jumped up immediately, but instead he spread out his arms. Very shyly Nat stepped into the room and he stood rooted to the spot as he saw the motionless body lying in the bed, framed by all the medical equipment which filled most of the room. Finally he approached his mother hesitantly.

"Hey, it's okay Nat, David is doing fine, you won't hurt him!" Reeba cheered him up and pushed him gently in Starsky's direction.

"Hello Nat, you won't believe how glad I'm to see you again!" He took the boy in his arms and pressed him firmly. Then he held him at arm's length and looked at him. "Do you know actually, that you have saved all of our lives Nat? Without you we probably would be dead! You were very, very brave and I'm really proud of you!"

Nat blushed but then his features became serious again and he stared at the bed behind Starsky.

"Is this your friend you were waiting for?"

"Yeah, this is my friend. His name is Ken or Hutch if you like!"

"My Mom says he's very sick because...because he didn't want someone to shoot you. She says he did it because he's your best friend. Is that what friends do? Doing everything for each other?"

Starsky felt like a cold shiver ran down his spine, in spite of his youth Nat had said with a few words for what Starsky had needed years to find it burnt again in his eyes, he twinkled to suppress them and he succeeded a smile.

"Yes... that what friends...are for!"

"David may I talk...to your friend? I...I don't know if he could hear me...I would like to thank him because he protected my Mom and..." Nat stopped searching for words but Starsky had understood him a long time ago.

"Of course...don't be afraid, talk to him, I'm sure that he can hear you."

Slowly Nat moved up closer to the bed, bent over Hutch's head and whispered something in his ear. After a while he rose again and winced suddenly as the alarm on the heart monitor beside him went off. Hutch's pulse had risen very suddenly to double the rate and his blood pressure was rising rapidly. Starsky looked at Nat in confusion and at the same time took Hutch's hand again.

"Hutch! - What...what did you say to him Nat?...He must have heard you...what...what was it?" Nat anxiously pressed himself against his mother and shook his head.

"I... I, nothing..."

_It became warmer again, the darkness passed and the sun rose. Again he heard a voice, this time brighter...a child. He didn't remember this voice, but it didn't frighten him. The spoken words comforted him and relieved his pain._

'I just want to thank you because you have saved my Mom...'

He could hear every word clearly.

'Please, you have to get well again soon…I think she loves you ...'  
The sun blinded him, now it became terrible hot, so hot that he believed he would burn...he wanted to go back, back into the darkness, it hurts, it was too hot. The sun was burning his skin; blisters were forming and he could smell burning flesh.

_With firm strokes he swam away and dived deep into the pleasant coolness of the sea surrounded him like a cocoon. He felt safe here, why shouldn't he stay here. Where he came from there was only pain and suffering, so maybe he could find his friend here. From somewhere he heard a very quite voice again and he immediately felt safe.  
He would continue to look for his friend, maybe he wasn't dead and maybe sometime he would find him somewhere..._

After few minutes Hutch's pulse had returned to normal again and the alarm stopped too. Several times Starsky called Hutch's name, but without success, there was no other reaction.  
Something in Nat's words had to have penetrated into Hutch's world, but what? Starsky sighed deeply and turned round to Nat.

"Nat, don't be afraid, I'm not angry with you, but you must have said something very important and he reacted. We all want Hutch to get better again, maybe..."

Nat felt obviously unwell. "I... I only thanked him and said... that he has to get better again because my Mom...I think she likes him very much...." He stuttered and looked at Starsky and then at his mother questioning.

"Have I said something wrong?"

Reeba embraced her son. "No...you haven't Nat...and you're right...I really like him! – Dave... you were right... Ken is calling out for you."

She now laughed and cried at the same time and then looked at Starsky. Starsky stroked softly his friend's cheeks.

"Yes partner... I have heard you and I know you've started fighting again."

TBC


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

_**Five weeks later.**_

Starsky felt about 20 pounds lighter; he no longer had the cast on his leg and Dr. Gilbert was very contented with the healing process but Reeba's arm still wasn't healed properly. Dr. Gilbert had taken another x-ray examination; the picture showed that the fracture in her wrist had healed badly so the doctors had to operate again and break the bones to reset them and were now held together in the correct position by an external fixation device.

* * *

Starsky entered Hutch's room with only one crutch whistling happily.

"Hey buddy... Surprise! I'm walking again!" Starsky threw the crutch into the corner and collapsed onto a chair. "You wouldn't believe how good this feels...this itching drove me mad! Hey...what about some music...Scott McKenzie would be nice, wouldn't he?"

Hutch didn't answer.

Starsky put on the record and the gentle voice of McKenzie's 'San Francisco' filled the room. It reminded him of his partner's voice when he himself played the guitar and sang. He hadn't heard it for half an eternity.  
God, how he missed that gentle voice, the slender fingers when they glided over the strings of the guitar.

His laughter.

His sparkling blue eyes.

Starsky leant back in his chair and looked at the pale, still body in the bed.

During the last eight weeks so much had happened....

* * *

He remembered the first week full of hope in the hospital and then the horrible day when Dr. Samuels had to tell them that Hutch was in a coma and only being kept alive by machines; nobody knew whether or when Hutch would wake up again from that deep sleep. Doctor Samuels couldn't explain the exact reason why Hutch didn't wake up any more. A head trauma was usually responsible for it; the only explanation for Dr. Samuels was the traumatic experience of the kidnapping and then the accident. He also explained that patients sometimes woke up suddenly but couldn't tell with certainty why. But he was sure that it was important that friends and family should be with Hutch all the time and so could help to release the patients from their prison again.

At first the diagnosis was a shock for everyone, but both, Starsky and Reeba agreed to do everything in their power to save Hutch from his private hell.

And because the doctors knew about Starsky's and Hutch's close friendship they decided to put both detectives into one room.

Reeba was discharged after one week with the instructions to get as much rest as possible. She really wanted to stay in Bay City as long as possible and so she made some phone calls and her employer in San Francisco agreed that she could stay in Bay City as long as she needed, until her arm was healed. Edith Dobey persuaded her to move into the Dobey's house and she finally agreed because she didn't knew where else she could have gone, and she was glad to let Edith mother hen her for a while. But the most important reason was that she could stay with the blond detective and his curly headed friend.  
She had taken both men into her heart but there was this special feeling that she had never felt for any other person in her life. She didn't know, if it had been the right decision to fall in love with a man she had only known for a few hours and who would perhaps never was getting completely better again. But she would take the risk even if her mind said that it was the most stupid thing she had done in her life, her heart said something else. And so she spent more than a few hours a day in Hutch's room and together with Starsky tried to wake him up again.

But Hutch made no progress.

Starsky slowly lost all courage and Reeba noticed it immediately. Sometime when she went into his room and saw Starsky's depressed face, she knew that something wasn't right with him and after she had greeted Hutch with a kiss on his forehead she sat down in silence beside Starsky's bed and looked at him questioningly. Starsky didn't seem to noticed her at all, he stared at the ceiling as if he had seen something very interesting there.  
After Reeba had watched Starsky for a while wanting to ask him what had happened, Starsky turned his head in her direction and looked at her, his deep blue eyes looked sad and tired.

"Hey...Dave...what's wrong?" she asked softly.

Starsky exhaled deeply and sat up.

"Reeba...I think we have missed something, it can't go on like this. Look at Hutch, whatever we do he shows no reaction. I don't know what we should do; it feels as if we are losing Hutch a little bit more every day. Something has to happen and it has to happen fast!" He pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes. "Please help me, Reeba I don't know what to do..."

Reeba sighed quietly and sat down on Starsky's bed. With her good hand she lifted his chin and looked deep into his eyes.

"David, don't give up on him now. I know that this is a very hard time and maybe it will get much worse, but we have to go on. Believe me, I'm sure, Ken knows that you are here and that I'm here too, he just can't communicate. By the way... I wanted to tell you that a few days ago; I called a friend in San Francisco who has a lot of experience with patients like Ken; she works in a home for coma patients. And she said that Ken needs more stimulation! She told me that the patients' family members are asked about the patients' habits what they like to eat, which smells they like and which music they like to hear. We must speak with Dr. Samuel and I think he'll help us. Ken has to be moved out of this room, he has to hear something else than these monotonous machines." Now Reeba was properly excited and was full of energy.

"You know him better than everyone else, Dave what are his hobbies, what is his favorite music what does he read, what does he use for an aftershave...?"

"Reeba...Reeba, wait...are you telling me that Hutch needs different _**smells**_ or _**sounds**_ to wake up again? Simply music, or... or his _**plants**_?!" Starsky asked confused.  
Reeba nodded keenly. "You got it! We must drive to his place and get some things that are very important for him. I'll talk to Dr. Samuel about whether and when Ken can be removed from the ICU."

Starsky shook his head in disbelief and for the first time in days he smiled again. "Reeba, you always see the positive even if things are still so rough. Hutch should be really glad that he found you... and I'm glad too..."

"That's not really all…there is... well, Ken is _**your**_ friend, _**your**_ partner. I'll never be able to be so ...special for him like you are. He loves you more than a brother, he trusts you with his life every day. You remember when we spoke about the gift? Now maybe it's time to unpack it. The way we have to go, will be still a very long and difficult one, but let _**me**_ be the rails and _**you**_ are the train, together sometime we'll come to the goal. No matter how tough things are , we'll make it, together. Believe me Dave...I've already seen a lot of bad things in my job, but also a lot of small miracles. We can make it and Ken will be our miracle!"

Reeba looked at Starsky and for the first time in weeks she saw him smile again.

Starsky and Reeba worked out their plan. After a conversation with Dr. Samuel he was ready to move Hutch into a private room at the end of the week. During this time he and his staff would try to get Hutch off the ventilator. Starsky called Huggy Bear and asked him to drive Reeba and him to Hutch's apartment to get some things and to bring the stuff into the hospital.

* * *

Starsky leaned back in his chair and smiled when he thought about that day when Reeba, Huggy and he had gathered all possible objects in Hutch's apartment.  
And he remembered some kind of grief that overcame him when he opened the door to Hutch's apartment...

* * *

Starsky opened the apartment door and hobbled into the living room followed by Huggy and Reeba. Since the accident Starsky hadn't been here; without his friend at his side, without him the room looked strangely quiet, almost dead. Though Edith had regularly seen to Hutch's mail and had tended his greenhouse jungle, some plants hadn't got over the long absence and lack of continuous care by their owner.

A smell of stale air and dried plants hung over the place. Huggy opened several windows and let in some fresh air.

"Okay, my man, what do you want me to do?"

Starsky looked around. "Well, he loves his music, his paintings, his books...and here, his guitar, he can sing and play really good."

Reeba crouched in front of a records rack and took some out; John Denver, Berry Manilow, Simon and Garfunkel.

"You think they're okay?!" She asked quietly.

"Yeah... they're perfect!"

After two hours they had gathered a considerable amount of objects. Hutch's record player, his radio, records, books and his shaving things, including his aftershave. Some of the smaller plants were loaded into Huggy's car too.

Huggy's car was so stuffed that he has to make two trips and could only take Starsky and Reeba the second time.

"Huggy, I owe you..." Starsky murmured and hugged the lanky barkeeper.

"Hey no problem, my friend, Hutch is also **_my_ **friend, you remember? You know that you can always count on The Bear, you have my number, give me a call, okay?"

"Clear Huggy, see you..."

"Sure Starsky, and give Blondie a big hug!" Huggy squeezed behind the steering wheel and drove away.

While they were waiting for Huggy to return Starsky watched Reeba looking round the room. It must have been strange for her to be in someone's private place and rummage through his things, but while doing it she discovered new sides of a man she hardly knew. She looked at his paintings, walked around his greenhouse and was astonished how many-faceted Ken Hutchinson was. On one side a hard, street wise cop and on the other side an artistically and musical gifted man who owned plants that Reeba didn't know the name of. She rummaged through a book shelf and found a box with a lot of pictures of him and Starsky. What she couldn't find were some pictures of his family.

"What about his parents? Ken's been in the hospital for over three weeks now and they aren't here yet or haven't called in. Why?"

Starsky twitched his shoulders sat down on the couch and pulled up his injured leg onto the couch.

"They don't know it yet and Hutch wouldn't want them too. The relationship between him and his parents is...difficult. They could never accept that Hutch has become a cop and not a surgeon, like his father. He gave up medical school and moved from Duluth to L.A."

"He was going to be a doctor?!"

"Yeah...really unbelievable, huh? But he had other plans and after his father found out that he had signed on at the academy, his parents disowned him. The last time I saw them...well I think it was three years ago at Thanksgiving. It was the worst celebration I ever experienced, believe me! They're so cold...unemotional like a refrigerator! Hard to believe that such a warmhearted guy like Hutch lived in a family like that! I only called his sister, but she can't come, her both children have the chicken pox...Here...wait," Starsky rummaged in the box. "This is Kathleen, his little sister, you'll like her. Just as stubborn as Hutch, but she has also a big heart!"

The picture showed Hutch with his younger sister and both her children. She had the same sky-blue eyes and the sun bleached hair. Reeba looked at the picture for a while, then she put the picture and a few others in her jacket pocket.  
Reeba smiled at Starsky reached for his hand and held it tight.

"What kind of family is _**this**_?! You could have warned me, couldn't you? But you have made me curious too! Well, it's time to return the rejected son."

Starsky's features contorted into a wide grin. "I knew you wouldn't disappoint Hutch! Welcome to our life!"

He took Reeba in his arms and hugged her firmly. Then he kissed her on her forehead.  
_  
'You would be very proud of her Hutch. Come back, we miss you!'_

* * *

Starsky watched over Hutch.

"Hey Hutch, Reeba will be back today or tomorrow! So what abouta shave? You look like a hedgehog! And we really don't want to frighten your lady! Let me get the razor and make you presentable!"

Starsky trotted into the small bathroom gathered all the things he would need and returned back. He wrapped a towel around Hutch's upper body and started to lather Hutch's face.

"You know...I miss her and the boy. They are both something special and by the way Nat has taste; he really likes my Torino; if he comes back again he gets the ride I promised him. I hope she has some good news for us..."

Reeba and her son had flown back to San Francisco 10 days ago. The first reason was to visit her parents. She hadn't seen them since the accident; they were both sick and not able to take the long trip to Los Angeles. The second was less unpleasant; her sickness benefit was running out and her nursing service management called her in to have an important discussion. She had to decide whether to remain in Bay City, and look for a new job and begin a new, uncertain future with Hutch or returned to her old life.  
Starsky could only hope that she would make the right decision.

Starsky sighed as he remembered. He cleaned up Hutch's face and was satisfied with his work. It wasn't much he could do for his friend but at least it gave him the feeling of having _**done** _something, to be useful.

Suddenly it was very quiet in the room and Starsky sat back again in his chair and sank into thoughts, still keeping a watchful eye over his sleeping friend.

Hutch was lying on his side; pillows behind his back stopped him from rolling again over on his back. Every two to four hours he was turned to the other side so that his vulnerable body areas like buttocks and shoulder blades didn't get sore. The IV cannulae had given way to a stomach tube to feed him. But despite a very high calorie intake he had lost almost 30 pounds, his body was as bony as the under nourished children in the Third World. With his finger Starsky could trace every rib in Hutch's upper body and his forearms were as thin as those of a skinny kid.  
His face had changed the most; his cheek bones protruded unnaturally and he had dark circles around his eyes. Hutch's skin had always been pale, only tanned because of the sun in California, but now he was as white as the sheets he lay on. His blond hair was the only spot of color in the bed.

Beside his head sat Ollie, the bear Terry had given him. When Starsky saw him sitting in Hutch's bedroom on the night stand he had to bring him immediately. Now Ollie sat at Hutch's side and seemed to guard him while he slept.

A quiet knock on the door startled him.

"Yes... come in, please..."

He turned his head in the direction of door and than his eyes got wide with surprise.  
_  
**"Mrs. ... Mrs. Hutchinson?!"**_

An elderly woman in her late fifties entered the room, she was wearing a grey suit, and her black hair was tied together in a strict knot. The woman looked embarrassed; when Starsky spoke to her she winced and smiled thinly.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Starsky... well I see you're feeling better." Her gaze rested on his crutch that lay beside the bed and it said more than thousand words.  
_  
'You dare to sit here, while my son vegetates dying in this bed!'_

"W- Where...why..." He stammered confused, incapable to put his confusion onto words.

"Believe me, Detective Starsky...we also read newspapers and see the television... The raid was on all stations."

"But... but why you come _**now**_..."

"My husband had to go to an important conference and he couldn't miss it and I have accompanied him. We have just arrived from Washington. But it wasn't necessary for **_you_ **to call us, was it?" Her voice was hard and her pale blue eyes showed no emotion. "My husband is talking to Kenneth's doctor because of his transfer..."

"Transfer? What are you talking about?"

Starsky jumped up and hurried some steps to Mrs. Hutchinson and tripped over the crutch. A stabbing pain shot through his left foot; groaning he tried to find his balance while he shifted his weight on his good leg.  
_  
'No please, not again... this is really the last thing I need now…' _

"But..., but, you can't just come here after all these years and decide about Hutch's life... And you have no right!" Starsky burst out.

"Detective Starsky...we _**are**_ his parents, even if Kenneth or you have maybe forgotten it. He's still our _**son**_! We'll take him to Duluth." Mrs. Hutchinson said resolutely.

Unable to move a muscle Starsky had to watch as she walked to Hutch's bed and stared down at her son without saying a word. With trembling fingers she reached for Hutch's hand and ran with the other gently over his forehead. She closed her eyes and sighed as if she could feel his pain for a moment.

It was the first time that Starsky saw some kind of emotion on her face.

But as quickly as it been there, it had disappeared again.

Mrs. Hutchinson turned around and started to remove clothes from the cupboard and put them on a chair.

"_**Stop it**_! Don't touch him!"

Starsky roared, he hobbled to the cupboard and slammed the door. He stood with his back to it when he noticed the door opened again.

Dr. Samuel and a tall man, also in his late fifties entered the room.

"How dare you, talk with my wife like that _**Mr.**_ Starsky?!"

Dr. Hutchinson stood in front of Starsky, at 6ft.3 he was half a head taller than he was. The amazing resemblance to Hutch always shocked him, but this time he had no time for that. In fury he stared at the doctor.

"How dare you **_Mr_.** Hutchinson? Where were_ **you**_ when your son needed _**you**_ most? You turned him out and _**now** _suddenly you remember that you have a son? Hutch isn't leaving this room; unless he walks out!"

Dr. Hutchinson crossed his arms over his chest and eyeballed the angry man without twitching an eyelash. Dr. Samuel lifted his hands.

"Please, Gentlemen...Mrs. Hutchinson, calm down. I have already tried to explain to Dr. Hutchinson that I don't think that it's a good idea to move Ken now. The change of location would be more damaging to him than useful. I'm afraid of a relapse. We want..."

"Dr. Samuel... I won't discuss this with you." Dr. Hutchinson interrupted the doctor. "My son needs the best possible medical care and not velvet gloves. I know very exactly what the best for him is."

"Oh... really, you know that?" Starsky snorted.

Both parties faced off like boxers in the ring, ready to go the full length of the fight. Their voices got louder and so no one noticed when the door opened quietly and a young woman came in. She listened to the more and more heated debate, until she finally interrupted it in a loud voice.

"For heaven's sake! What's the matter here? Are we here on the football pitch or in a hospital?"

All four of them stared at her.

"Reeba! Thank God ...you're back!" Starsky spread out his arms hobbled to her and embraced her solidly. Then he turned and pointed to the Hutchinsons. "If I may introduce you to Hutch's parents... Donald and Elisabeth Hutchinson." His voice had an icy undertone. "They want to take Hutch back to Duluth."

"But...but, why?" Reeba was lost for words. "He's been treated well here, we..."

"I won't discuss this with you, young lady. My decision is firm." Dr. Hutchinson said. "Elisabeth, the airplane is waiting..."

"Just one moment..." Reeba jumped forwards and positioned herself like a living shield before Hutch's bed. "If he goes, I go with him! Where were _**you**_ the last two months and don't tell me, you didn't know about it! If you had wanted to, you would have been on the first flight to Bay City, but apparently you had better things to do. David and I, _**we**_ have been here in this hospital with your son for the last two months. Day by day, week after week. _**We** _had to see how he was close to dying and where were _**you**_ then? And now _**you**_ dare to judge what will be the best for Ken?!"

She had shouted the last words. Her whole fury and fear had built up and now culminated in this outbreak in despair and failure to understand. She thought she was trembling and held on to the bed rails. But then she noticed that it wasn't her trembling but the bed. Amazed she turned round and froze.

"Ken? Dear God... he's having a seizure!" She yelled out. "Hurry up Dr. Samuel... he needs help!"

In a split second the room was full of nurses; Starsky, Reeba and the Hutchinsons were pushed aside. Dr. Samuel inserted a needle into Hutch's vein and gave him a valium injection, while a nurse pushed a bite block between his teeth to prevent him from biting his tongue. Hutch's body was shaken by spasms. He threw the head back; his neck and his back bent like a bow. His hands lay twisted on his chest; his whole internal fight was reflected again in his face. The nurse put an oxygen mask on Hutch's face, the seizures decreased after few minutes but then increased again.

"One more shot!" Dr. Samuel ordered. "Determine his blood sugar level and prepare a glucose drip."

Starsky couldn't keep back any more, he limped to Hutch's bed and grasped him by his shoulders.

"Hutch! _**Hutch**_? Stop! It's okay! No one will take you away. Do you hear me..._**HUTCHINSON**_! STOP IT!"

Starsky's last words were so loud that everyone stiffened foramoment. Hutch's eyelids suddenly flew up, for one moment Starsky thought, Hutch was looking at him, but his eyes stared into space. Slowly Hutch relaxed, the violent seizures eased, his muscles relaxed and finally, the whole body drooped. His breathing was quieter again and the unnatural spasm of his hands had vanished.

"Easy Hutch...it's okay... nobody's going to hurt you... just breathe, you hear me? No one will take you away..."

Starsky cast a furious glance at Hutch's father. Exhausted he sat down on the edge of the bed, his knees trembled and his left ankle was throbbing so much that he felt slightly dizzy.

"I think the discussion is finished for the time being." Dr. Samuel murmured quietly. "My patient is not stable enough for a transfer. Please leave the room now, Ken needs his rest."

When the Hutchinsons had left the room Reeba turned in distress to Dr. Samuel.

"What...what was that... A convulsion or what else?"

"We will run some tests and we'll do an EEG to exclude a possible brain damage or bleeding. I don't think that we need to worry. It's only a precaution …" The doctor tried to smile but he couldn't hide his worried frown.

"I think we'll let Ken get some rest and I think _**you**_ David have an appointment with Dr. Gilbert! Don't think, I hadn't noticed that you can hardly walk! Dr. Gilbert will be happy to see you again!"

"Yes... I'll bet he will..." Starsky murmured. Reluctantly he reached for his crutch. "I'll be back again immediately, partner. No reason to worry, okay?" Softly he stroked Hutch's hair and hobbled out.

* * *

_He felt very well here, although he hadn't still found his friend but after a while he felt too cold. He knew exactly, that he was afraid of the sun but he swam through the dark sea against the bright light. Something told him that he now had to swim to the light._

_It became warmer and for a short moment he enjoyed the wholesome warmth that surrounded him with its rays.  
Suddenly he heard a voice; the closer he came to the light the more loudly the voice became. He knew that voice, but the louder the voice became the hotter the light became._

_'We'll take him to Duluth…'_

_But who?_

_He didn't want to go away from here._

_The voice frightened him, but it was like a magnet which continually attracted him; the stronger he tried to swim against the stream the more he was attracted. The light changed into a maelstrom, he was pulled in and was hurled around like in a colossal mixer. He screamed, but nobody could hear him._

_'We take him to Duluth...'_

You have to move away...

_No…I don't want to go away..._

I have to find Starsky...

_He saw flashes, it became unbearably hot._

_Something held him, he was torn away like in an elastic band and skidded around disoriented._

_'HUTCHINSON! Stop it!'_

'Starsky?!'

_There it was again, the voice of his friend, but where was he? Was he there where the light was so bright? But it couldn't be... the light hurt him so much... Starsky couldn't be there... maybe it was only a dream, an imagination. He suddenly became awfully tired and didn't fought against the maelstrom, but let himself fell back to the peaceful, dark place. He would find his friend someday, maybe only not today._

**TBC**


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"If you don't do what I tell you, you will end up in this wheel chair for life! Do we _**understand**_ each other?" Dr. Gilbert shouted. "You have had_ **amazing** _luck, the ankle is only sprained. I'll put this splint on itso that this doesn't happen again! And if I see you anywhere in the next days _**without** _crutches, then..."

"Okay... I understand!" Starsky murmured subdued as he reached for his crutches and disappeared as fast as possible from the treatment room. He had had it up to his teeth with hospitals and particularly with doctors for today! He had to get out of here! The experience in Hutch's room and Dr. Gilbert's anger was the straw that broke the camel's back. He hurried past Reeba to the elevator and before she could say anything the door shut behind him.  
Reeba's shoulders slumped.

'_Okay, Detective Starsky, we need to talk!'_

Reeba finally found Starsky after a long search in the park near to the hospital. He was sitting by a pond; leaning with his back against a thick Douglas fir and had stretched out his injured leg. He had his head buried in his arms.  
Reeba sat down beside him quietly without touching him. After a while Starsky looked up and glanced at her.

"Reeba...I'm sorry about that...I didn't want to run away, but I had to be alone for a few minutes. I can't take this hospital any more!"

Reeba nodded slowly; Starsky had spent the last months round-the-clock in the hospital except for the few hours when Huggy or Dobey had driven him to his apartment to deal with his mail and to get a change of clothes.

"I can understand that...there are better places to be!"

A small smile appeared round Starsky's lips.

"Nice, to see you back again, Reeba! I...uh..._**we**_ really have missed you! So what was going on in San Francisco?"

"Oh...very good." She smiled mysteriously. "Even if I wanted to tell you under other circumstances, but Nat and I...we're staying!" She looked at him. "Dave... as soon as my arm is healed I can start here in Memorial in ER! Isn't that great? I only had to make two phone calls and everything was already in place!" Now she smiled with her whole face. "Next week Nat can start at his new school, now we only need a new place to live!"

Starsky's face spread into a wide grin.

"Reeba, that _**is**_ great news...what did your parents say about it?"

"Well, they weren't thrilled, but...they have accepted it. It wasn't as bad as I thought. They'll miss Nat...I had to promise my mum to call least once a week, that she knows that I'm still alive!"

"Sounds as if we have the same mother!" Starsky grinned and sighed quietly. "Well... I'm sorry that I can't show right now how pleased I'm about it ..." He took a deep breath. "But I'm glad that you get what you wanted!" And very quietly he added. "I'll never forget this."

"Hey, officer who would want to look after you two? I'm going away for a few days and one of you nearly disappears!"

Again Starsky laughed, but this time it sounded bitter.

"Yeah...as it just happened...they would have really taken him...Reeba what if Hutch really...I mean these convulsions..."

"David, it was a seizure, unfortunately something like that often happens to coma patients; there is really no reason for you to worry about it." Reeba looked at Starsky but he avoided her gaze and stared at the pond.

"But what I don't understand is...it happened exactly at the moment when his folks wanted to take him away, it couldn't be an accident. This is the evidence that he's still there, that he can hear us! But why does he slip away over and over again? He's like a fish in the water you try to catch with your hand..." Starsky suddenly fell silent and frowned. These terrible pictures came back again; Hutch twitching as the seizures shook his body, his wide open eyes.  
_  
'The eyes are the soul of a human being,'_ Starsky once had read somewhere. But there was nothing in those eyes, they were blank.

"Reeba...I'm sure, we're doing something wrong, I don't know what, but..." "What do you mean with 'doing wrong'?"

"Just this, this attack...Even Dr. Samuel believes that this has nothing to do with Hutch's brain...that Hutch...because he sensed that he would have been taken away from here. He must have heard it!"

Now it was Reeba who was quiet for a moment.

What should she say to him? How should she tell him that through a long coma some sort of short 'electric discharges' in the brain could happen and that unfortunately, scars often remained in the brain which didn't heal again.  
She had spoken with Dr. Samuel and she knew that the doctor hadn't told Starsky the whole truth so as not to worry him. He had told her that every day, every week Hutch spent in this coma was one too many and that he didn't believe that Hutch would wake up again.  
This conversation had hit Reeba hard; she had just returned to Bay City, full of hope and now this dream burst like a big soap bubble.  
First she needed time to understand what had happened and she knew that sometime she had to tell Starsky the truth.

She couldn't run away from that.

But not now...not today.

It chilled her to the core.

"David...whatever it was, just let us wait until we get back the test results, I don't want to give you any more false hopes now ..."

'_Oh God...what I'm saying here?_'

"You mean you think the same...like Dr. Samuels...that his brain could be damaged?"

Reeba could clearly hear the fear in Starsky voice.

"For the moment nothing we can't know, but we have to wait..."

"We have to wait... I don't want to wait any longer; we've already waited for two months and nothing has changed!"

"Hey calm down...I'm not the enemy here! Try to relax, you're frustrated!"

"Yes, I know that you are _**not** _the enemy and I'm _**not**_ frustrated..." Furiously he hit with the fist on the ground and was silent for a while. Then he took a deep breath. "Oh God...I'm just...it's so...I'm...yes, _I **am**_ frustrated...! What's with you? The stimulation was your idea; why are you talking about waiting now? If you don't believe in Hutch any more..."

Furious, Starsky got up, reached for his crutches and disappeared so fast, that Reeba didn't have time for an answer.  
_  
'Really good psychology work there Reb, really fantastic!'  
_  
She leaned back; maybe Starsky was right and she really had given up on Hutch. Maybe she should listen to her instincts and feelings and ignore her whole medical knowledge.  
But she needed a break to sort some things out. She wouldn't run after Starsky now, first she had to think about other things, especially about her feelings.

********************************************************************************************************************************

In the next two weeks Reeba and Starsky had hardly spoken to each other. They got out of each other's way, and changed only the briefest words. Hutch's test results had been positive; no sign of acute brain damage or bleeding and that confirmed Starsky's belief that Hutch had overheard his discussion with his parents‚ and that it had been the reason for the seizures.  
Starsky kept this to himself; Reeba had to take care of a lot of other things that needed her full attention. Finally, her right arm had healed, the external fixation was removed and she could start her new job in the hospital. Nat visited the new school and they still needed a new apartment. Reeba had strictly rejected moving into Hutch's apartment and Starsky could understand why. And as if that wasn't enough she was trying to wake a man she hardly knew from a coma, she had fallen in love with him. Starsky knew that Reeba was not sure if it made any sense to waste her strength on him.

The world could be so unfair.

Starsky had been back at work for a week. The splint was finally removed and Dr. Gilbert had given him the all clear to go back to work and reminded him once again to take it easy for a while; but Starsky was only on desk duty and so it didn't matter.  
The first days had been strange. The other officers were glad to see him back again and everybody asked about Hutch, but nobody asked, _**when**_ Hutch would come back again. And when Starsky saw Hutch's empty desk, it became clear to him, that maybe Hutch would never sit there again.

Since he was working again he also slept at home. He still spent as much time as possible in the hospital, but he couldn't sleep there all night, because the night nurse disturbed his sleep when she had to move Hutch from one side to the other.

At home he could get the necessary rest.

Unfortunately, he also had the time to think. And especially at night he had a lot of time to think.

* * *

It was in the middle of the night, Starsky's alarm clock showed 1:20a.m. Thousands of thoughts went through his head. So many things had happened during the last months and he hadn't completely understood it yet. Because the only one person, who normally helped him to understand this crazy world was in his own dark one, out of reach.

Oh God how he missed Hutch.

And when he thought about Reeba, Starsky had a bad conscience. She had done so much for him and Hutch and now he dropped her like a hot potato. But he couldn't endure seeing how she was hurting herself. He had often watched as Reeba sat beside Hutch's bed crying. It almost broke his heart to see her suffering and not be able to do something about it. And sometimes he understood why maybe she had abandoned hope.  
Starsky curled up on his side and buried his face deep in the pillow. Something had to happen; things couldn't go on like this. He would have to talk to Reeba, maybe not tomorrow, but soon.  
Starsky felt exhausted as if running a marathon and after some time, he closed his eyes.

He started to dream; he dreamt about the attack in the garage, the months afterwards. Then he dreamed about Terry's death, his painful grief and the fear of losing Hutch to the plague.  
And over and over again the situation in the garage and the fatal shots. Then he suddenly heard a voice, a cry.  
_  
'Starsky get me out of here, I'm scared, don't leave me!'_

Starsky waked up bathed in sweat; he already had a similar dream before, in the hospital when he was unconscious for days. But why didn't the past leave him alone? A thought suddenly ran through his brain and within a second he was wide awake. In a hurry he swung his legs out of the bed and ran to the phone. With trembling fingers he chose the familiar number.  
_  
'Come on now...pick up the phone...'  
_  
"Mmmh..."

"Reeba? It's David."

"David...you know what time it is? Has something happened...? Something ... about Ken? "

"No...but... please, can you come around? We have to talk."

* * *

Half an hour later a very sleepy Reeba sat on Starsky's couch, a big cup of coffee in her hands and watched an excited Starsky run through the living room. She only was wearing an oversized shirt and some blue shorts, her usually big brown eyes were small with fatigue and with her uncombed hair she looked like a bird that had flown into a dryer with wet feathers.

"Okay David what's wrong? It's 3.30 in the morning, and my shift starts at six o'clock. Please, give me a good reason why I'm sitting on this couch and not lying in my warm bed! And please, _**sit down**_! This running to and fro is making me crazy!"

Starsky stopped and sat down in an armchair. He put the coffee mug back on the table and crouched down.

"Reeba, I think I know a way how we can wake up Hutch again!"

Reeba's eyes became big like saucers.

"_**What? How**_?"

"You remember the last time, when Hutch suddenly...became more 'alert', right?" Starsky was searching for the right words. "It was always when he was scared or when somethinghe heard. Like when his parents wanted to take him or when Nat spoke to him. He doesn't need any 'positive' attractions, Reeba we...we have to scare him, have to frighten him; he really needs a shock. Do you remember Dr. Samuel has said a traumatic experience could have been the reason for his coma? He needs another shock again and..."

"You're completely made David Starsky and you know that!" Reeba interrupted him. "You'll kill him and what's more Dr. Samuel will never permit it!"

Reeba shook her head in disbelief and was ready to stand up.

"Reeba please listen to me! You...you saw how Hutch reacted when his parents wanted to take him away. I'm absolutely sure that Hutch was ready to wake up again. He was afraid, he was afraid to go away, but something holds him back. But I can tell that he wants to come back again...here." He put his hand on the left of his chest and looked at Reeba.

Reeba rubbed her eyes tiredly and thought about the stuff Starsky had told her.

"You mean we must let Ken go through the whole kidnapping once again? Everything?"

"No, not the kidnapping...just my death!"

"WHAT?"

"It was the traumatic experience we both had to go through and he still blames himself for the fact that he couldn't prevent it. We simply have to cause this feeling and turn it back!" Starsky bent forward and looked at Reeba almost swearing. "Believe me, I'm sure...it's the only chance we have to wake him up." Gently he put a hand on her arm and smiled weakly. "I'mjust as afraid asyou are that something will go wrong but it's his only chance."

Reeba was quiet for a long time, lost in thoughts she played with the coffee mug in her hand. The whole idea was completely crazy and absurd. How could Ken go through the death of his very best friend again? How could she explain this to the doctor? What if it turned to the worst and Ken died?  
But wasn't he all but dead? Didn't a bit of him die everyday, a bit of his friend and a bit of her? The condition Ken just was in, wasn't it much worse than death?  
Maybe she had already lost Ken, but she didn't want to watch her best friend follow him.

Reeba looked up and met Starsky's deep blue eyes. They were full of tears.

"We'll try it Dave...but, please promise me one thing."

"What?"

"If something happens to Ken...please...don't leave us." She said with a fragile voice.

Starsky fell to his knees in front of Reeba and hugged her tightly.  
"I would never leave you, all three of you. I give you my word." He whispered and hugged her again.

"Never again, as long as I live."

* * *

Dr. Samuel wasn't pleased with the idea at first. Not that the idea was absolutely absurd, it didn't correspond to his understanding of the therapy for coma patients. He certainly didn't like the thought that the whole thing would take place inthe underground car park of the hospital.

"David, are you aware that you can kill your friend? The shock could change into the opposite; he wouldn't survive it..."

"But, he's practically dead. Caught in a hell he can't escape from. Hutch wouldn't want to live on like that and believe me, he would just decide the same if it was me." Starsky said with a lower voice. "Nobody deserves to live like that, and some time ago Doc, you said that no human should have to suffer."

Dr. Samuel looked at Reeba and Starsky in long silence.

Both were determined to do everything and he was sure they would do it alone without his agreement.

And Starsky was right, every day Hutch went through his private hell and none of them could imagine what he suffering. Samuel had sworn to save life, but not to extend needless suffering. What's more, he didn't want to destroy their trust and that was the reason why he nodded after a while.

"Okay, we'll try it in the employee's garage, we need a trauma team just in case that...and please for God's sake don't use live ammunition. I'll inform the manager and the security staff."

Starsky sighted in relieve.

"Thank you Dr. Samuel...really."

"Don't thank me now; otherwise I'll be sorry for it..."

Hutch was connected to a monitor, moved to a gurney and two orderlies rolled him into the lift. Starsky and Reeba waited in the locked garage.  
Starsky had explained to Reeba and Dr. Samuel what exactly he planned. He wanted to play the attempt as a 'radio play' for Hutch. An orderly should drive up in a car with the engine revving, and then Starsky would fire several shots. Then the car should drive away with screeching tires.  
A trauma team was ready to intervene immediately if necessary, equipped with all the emergency equipment like drugs and an ambu bag.  
The orderlies reached the garage with Hutch and rolled the stretcher out of the elevator and stopped beside a parked car. Starsky stood some feet away from the stretcher and was nervous. He repeatedly checked his 38. and didn't let Hutch out of his sight.  
Reeba and Dr. Samuels stood beside the trauma team and waited for Starsky's sign. Starsky breathed deeply; now was the time, there was no chance to go back. He lifted his arm and gave the signal.  
_  
'Please Hutch, I need you now...don't let me down.'_

The car drove up and stopped in front of Starsky. He fired several shots in the air, until the magazine was empty. Then the car sped away with spinning tires.

Starsky could see Hutch suddenly start to tremble when the tires started to squeal; his pulse rate rose clearly. Then, with each fired shot Hutch winced violently and when  
the car sped away, Hutch suddenly started to scream.

Starsky had never heard such a horrible scream in his life. The scream had nothing of a human, it sounded like a wounded animal which was scared to death and crying for help.

Everyone paused in their positions.

Starsky saw Hutch sit up with a jerk; his eyes were opened wide and he screamed. It was as if he yelled out his whole pain of the last months, as if he was born again...  
Starsky fought down his urge to run over to Hutch and to gather him in his arms; to comfort him and to calm him down. He couldn't do it now, as tough as it was for him; Hutch had to go through it completely on his own.

Nobody could help him now.

Hutch's penetrating screams quieted down, until they were only a hoarse gasp. Hutch stared, his face deathly pale and bathed in perspiration. His whole body trembled, his pulse rate had reached a dangerous level, but then he fell back on the stretcher, completely exhausted and breathing violently. His eyes were closed.

Stiff with terror Starsky stopped for a while, then he ran over to Hutch; anxiously he touched him on his arm.

"Hutch? Do you hear me?" He whispered quietly. "I'm here Hutch...come back..._**please**_ ...don't give up now...it's over..._**Hutch**_!"

But his friend didn't respond, his eyes remained close, there was no recognizable movement.

Starsky felt a deep sadness, a very deep chill built up in him and a desperate scream died in his throat when he realized that his plan had failed. An uncontrollable trembling shook his body; his legs went soft like putty. Finally, shaken with sobs he collapsed over his friend's body. The whole build up of fear and desperation of the last months discharged violently. Starsky didn't notice when gentle strong hands put him on a hastily brought in stretcher; he heard reassuring words but he didn't understand them. The only thought he had was that he had lost his partner, his best friend probably for good.

* * *

They had given Starsky a strong sedative, had brought him back into Hutch's room and had put him in a bed. Dr. Samuel had examined Hutch thoroughly once again while Reeba watched but he couldn't ascertain any improvement or deterioration of his state. Why his patient showed such an unexpected reaction to the shots he couldn't explain for sure. He was just glad that his patient had got over this event without more damage.

Now it was late evening.

Starsky was lying in a fetal position in his bed and had fallen into an exhausted sleep. Eventually, the strain of the last hours left him and his features relaxed. Reeba had asked to spend the night with her two friends and the night nurse kindly brought her a comfortable armchair. She couldn't return home to her apartment now, she couldn't endure the silence there.  
Nat stayed with a friend. Starsky asked her not to tell him or Captain Dobey anything of their plan and so nobody knew what had happened today in the underground parking.  
She didn't want to leave Starsky alone either, he was so hopeful and now his hopes had burst like a soap bubble. Reeba didn't want to think about how Starsky's psyche would come to terms with this renewed setback. Starsky's breakdown and Hutch's gruesome screams were still clear in her mind. Reeba was sitting on the edge of Hutch's bed, holding his hand and looking at his hollow face.  
In the bank she had fallen in love with his wonderful blue eyes, this gentle sensitive voice and irresistible smile. Even if she has only spent a few hours with Hutch, Reeba had the feeling that she had known him all life. The deep, inner solidarity Starsky had with his friend would always be a miracle to her, but this indescribable feeling of deep affection she felt with Hutch, she had never felt for another person.  
Sadly she ran her fingertips over Hutch's closed eyelids, over his features, until they reached his lips.

"Ken," she whispered in a low voice. "I know that you're still there. David and I, we need you. Don't let us down now, please! David dies a little bit more every day and you can't let it happen! He's your best friend he's _**your**_ little brother! You promised to take care of him, but you're not here. What you are for him, I'll never be able to be. So wherever you are right now, don't let him down now. You got him back the last time, but now it's almost too late. Please do it for him, Ken. He needs you and I need you too. I want to see those sky-blue eyes again; I want to hear how you play the guitar and I want to hear how you sing. I would like to hear your voice again and I want to see your smile again. Damn...Hutchinson, _**I love you**_!"

Unstoppable tears ran down Reeba's cheeks. She bent forward and softly kissed Hutch's lips and tears dripped on his face. For a long time she sat beside Hutch's bed in silence and overwhelmed by her own feelings. Eventually she closed her eyes and when the night nurse stepped in the room, she found Reeba sleeping deeply, curled up in Hutch's bed. Shaking her head she got a sheet and covered her with it. Quietly she left the room; this time she wouldn't disturb her patient.

* * *

Starsky dreamed.

He sat at Hutch's favorite place on the beach on a wall. The moonlight was reflected in the quietly splashing sea, the wind was still pleasantly warm and ruffled his hair. Hutch often had sat here, mostly in the evening when it was silent and only a few joggers and loving couples stayed there. Especially after a hard day Starsky would find his friend here; lost in thought and completely swept up in himself, he had stared on the open sea and enjoyed the sunset and the light breeze. Usually Starsky had joined him in silence, had laid one arm around Hutch's shoulder and together they had waited until the sun finally set.

But this time he sat there alone. The moon was shining bright and spread the bay with weird light.  
He would never sit here with his friend again; he would never return to this place, the memories were too painful. His thoughts vanished and he closed his eyes; he didn't want to let the nice memories come back, they hurt him, he couldn't endure them any more.

Suddenly he heard quiet steps behind him; he felt a cold hand on his shoulder. Surprised he opened his eyes and looked into two sky-blue eyes.

'_Hutch!'_

He opened his mouth, but his voice failed. Hutch slowly knelt beside him his hollow, pale face was illuminated by the glistening moonlight. The wind blew through his sun-bleached hair; the stars were reflected in his eyes.

'_Why can I feel his touch?'_

He lifted his hand and searched for Hutch's face. He could feel it, the cold cheeks, the sharp cheek bones and the tears running over his fingertips. Hutch opened his mouth.

"S-Starsk...w-where ...'ve you...b-been?"

Starsky could hear Hutch's voice! The voice was so fragile and weak, but he could hear it, he could feel Hutch!

That wasn't a _**dream**_!

Starsky jumped to his feet and startled but was just still quick enough to catch the dangerous unsteady body and let him slide with difficulty to the ground.

"Hutch?!"

He couldn't believe what had just happened here. Hutch was lying on the floor beside him, and pressing his trembling body firmly to his chest. His fingers were searching for his face.

"Hutch...how... oh my God!" Starsky's confused gaze fell on Hutch's empty bed, he only saw Reeba lying asleep there.

It was real, it was not a dream, not imagination, and it was really Hutch who was lying there in his arms!  
It was an enigma how and why Hutch suddenly was lying here, but that didn't matter now. He felt Hutch's violently trembling body and held on tight.

"Dear God, Hutch...don't go away again...please stay with me, stay with me you hear me..." He whispered over and over again and ran his fingers continually over Hutch's hair as if he wanted to stop Hutch disappearing again.

"I...I need help..._**nurse**_… hurry!"

Hutch smiled weakly and looked at Starsky.

"D-Don't be afraid...pal ...d-don't wanna...loose y-you... again...!"

He smiled again and finally that was too much for Starsky. He pressed his friend even closer. Again his body was shaken by tears and sobbing but this time it was tears of the joy and luck. Later he couldn't remember when the door opened and a nurse and a doctor appeared.  
Reeba,who was startled by the sudden noise and had jumped out of the bed, suddenly squatted beside him on the ground. Distraught, she embraced both men incapable of understanding what she saw. Starsky looked up, his eyes full of tears.

"He's back...Reeba...we got him back!"

He cried and laughed at the same time and held Hutch's head in his arms. Hutch slowly turned his head in Reeba's direction and her greatest wish came true; she saw these wonderful blue eyes again.  
Hutch moved his lips but his voice was so weak, she couldn't understand him. She bent over his head, her ear close to his mouth.

"W-anna see...your...s-smile...l-love you...too!"

His long fingers ran over her lips and eyes and Reeba managed a smile and hugged both men.

Both had come back to her.

**TBC...**

_**...don't worry; there's only one chapter left, promise!**_

_**Author' note:  
Not everything I write is fiction. The daughter of a colleague had an accident with her bike and was in a coma for over 6 months. When she woke up again she screamed for nearly half an hour. Later she told her mother that she felt as she was born again there.  
Some years ago I worked on a non-surgical station in hospital and we had three coma patients to care about. A young woman started to cry when I read a letter to her her son wrote for her. But she and the other patient died after a long, long time because of pneumonia. Then one night I was on nightshift, looking after one of the other coma patients and changed his drips the man opened his eyes looked at me and said: "What're you doing there sister?" I was really scared to death but believe me, I'm not kidding! The man survived and was still alive! Later he told me that he could hear a lot of the stuff my colleagues and I had talked to him, even names and the music he had heard on the radio.  
Sometimes I see that man walking around in the city and he was one reason why I'm still a nurse. Sometimes miracles happen...**_


	14. Chapter 13

_First I woul__d like to thank everyone who stuck with me up to the end. It was a long journey! But there are two people left and that's my English beta Provencepuss and my German beta Anja! I don't know how to thank you for your encouragement and your patience! Without your help I would never have finished this story and no one would have understood a word! I think I gave you a lot of trouble and perhaps I'm also responsible for the one two grey hairs!  
A VERY BIG HUG! You're the BEST!!!_

_Also to all who read this story so far and everyone who wrote a review and pushed me to go. Thanks to YOU too!_

_I__f you like this story...I'm just thinking about a new story with the trio… (Don't get nervous you two, I'm just THINKING!!! I think you both need some time off!) _

_Now the last chapter__, I promise it's the last!_

**Chapter 13**

More than three months had passed since that night, but nothing was as it had been before that fateful day in the bank.  
The doctors called Hutch a medical wonder. In spite of the long coma Hutch hadn't suffered any bigger physical damages. As far as the doctors' tests showed his brain activity was normal. He showed no indication of amnesia or a failure of his nervous system. His initial stuttering and problems finding words was soon helped by a little speech therapy. During the coma he had almost lost more than 30 pounds, his body was weakened by the long bed rest and at first he wasn't able to get out of the bed on his own and had to sit down in the nearest chair; he needed a wheel chair to go to the bathroom and it was impossible for him to sit in the chair for more than half an hour.  
But with strenuous and painful physiotherapy, Hutch managed to rebuild his diminished muscles again and his body had won back a lot of the old strength that he had before the accident.  
All through his rehabilitation Starsky, Reeba and Nat were at his side and tried to support him. They were with him when he couldn't continue because of pure exhaustion or when he unexpectedly burst into tears in pain and in desperation when he was too impatient with himself. After the initial euphoria the sad certainty followed that it still would be a long time before he would be quite himself again. And it didn't help much when the doctors told Hutch that although he had managed to walk alone now, they couldn't give him much hope that he would ever gain his full lung and heart function again and that it might not bepossibleforhimto resumehis early morningruns. Whether he could work as a policeman again was a question they didn't have any answer to yet. The damage the bullet and the fractured ribs had caused had been very bad and every time when Hutch saw the long bulgy scar that went down from his armpit over his rib cage, he was reminded of it.

For Hutch that news was like a blow in his face; as if hislifewould no be longerworth living, and he lapsed into a kind of lethargy. Although he continued the exercise and the therapy, he had lost the firm belief that he could make a full recovery.

Starsky had noted very quickly, that with every day Hutch had to stay longer in the hospital he became more depressed and more despondent. But what scared him most was that the man who woke up from the coma wasn't the same man he knew better than his own brother.

Hutch wasn't the Hutch he knew.

So when after four long weeks all tests were finished and Hutch was dismissed with the instruction to go to the hospital every day to continue his physiotherapy, to pay attention to his food and to talk to the hospital shrink, Starsky urged him to do it.  
His doctors were very confident now, that eventually Hutch could take up his old life again, but he would still need a lot of patience. In a private conversation Dr. Samuel once again advised Starsky and Reeba not to leave Hutch alone during the next weeks. Physically and emotionally he wasn't able to carry on a normal life yet and for some time ago he still would need help, especially when it came to his psyche. Hutch still hadn't talked with anyone about his experiences and every time the hospital psychologist wanted to talk with him about the raid and the coma he had blocked off completely. Dr. Samuel was sure, that Hutch's physical wounds would heal completely with time, but his soul was still one single big wound which screamed for healing. No hospital in the world would be able to do this, maybe the familiar surroundings and the care of his best friends were exactly that what Hutch needed now.

********************************************************************************************************************************

It was not easy for everyone.

In the beginning Starsky or Reeba stayed with Hutch all day as well as all night. But after some days it was too much for Hutch. He felt like he was caught in a cage or was living in glasshouse. Every movement he made was observed. He also didn't want to be a burden for his friends any longer and he hated to be mothered for no reason. It ended in a violent outburst of fury and after that he only tolerated Starsky or Reeba remaining with him during the night.

Because at night the nightmares started and seemed to be so bad in intensity and so realistic that Hutch woke up frequently, bathed in sweat and cried out loud; but after that, he refused to speak about his dreams. Neither Starsky nor Reeba knew how they should handle this situation and every attempt to speak with Hutch about his nightmares and feelings or to find a way to push him mostly ended in a violent outburst of rage from Hutch. Both knew that these nightmares would be the key to heal Hutch's soul, but as long as Hutch refused to talk to his friends they had no chance of helping him.

After one of these nightmares Hutch started his morning runs again, although the doctors had warned him urgently not to do it. After only running for a few minutes he was so exhausted and weak he had to sit down on a bench, coughing violently and gasping for air, his heart ready to jump out of his chest. But his stubbornness and his iron will pushed him and after some time he was able to run around the block and after a while he was capable of running a full mile. But he got exhausted very fast, and the scars in his chest kept causing him problems and he needed a long time until he had recovered from the run.

But for him it was a small sense of achievement, a small victory in a fight he still hadn't won.

It almost seemed as if Hutch was running away from his fears, from his demons. Sometimes when he returned from his early morning runs, he reached for his guitar and played some self-written songs, but it sounded different from the way it did before. The music lacked the necessary impulsiveness, the joy and Hutch just seemed to feel the same; he had apparently lost all feeling of joy and luck.

He had forgotten how to laugh.

And Starsky began to worry.

This wasn't the Hutch _**he**_ knew, the Hutch he could laugh with, who he could share his fears and worries with. Now this Hutch who had woken up from the coma was a shadow of his former self, a psychic wreck, without any optimism and joy. In this condition he could never work as a police officer again.

And that was something Starsky wouldn't and couldn't admit at all. He wanted his partner, his friend, the _**old**_ Hutch back again, but it was as if a part of Hutch was still caught in a coma, as if his soul had died in that coma.

*********************************************************************************************************************************

These had been some wonderful October days and Reeba and Hutch had spent them together with Starsky and Nat on the beach. It was, oddly enough, that in the presence of Nat that Hutch was almost like before. From the first day in the hospital the boy handled Hutch quite impartially; it never disturbed him that he needed a lot of help first for every small movement and he helped Hutch with an unbelievable patience in his speech therapy. Maybe it was because Nat didn't know the _**old**_ Hutch and therefore also made no big demands on the _**new** _Hutch. And so now he was so happy that the whole last days Hutch laughed with him, romped around, went swimming and showed him how to fish properly.

Starsky was so glad to see Reeba as well as Hutch laughing once again, but he knew that this was only short-lived. As soon as Hutch fell asleep, the nightmares, the trip into his private hell began once more.

Reeba had the night shift in the ER that evening and so Starsky remained overnight with Hutch and as always slept on the couch in the living room.  
It was in the middle of the night when for some reason Starsky woke suddenly. His wristwatch showed 2:50. a.m. It was strangely quiet in the apartment; troubled he got up and opened the door to Hutch's bedroom.

The bed was empty.

A short glance out of the window showed him that Hutch's old brown LTD wasn't on its usual spot directly in front of the house. But an internal voice told him where he could find his friend now.  
Quickly he put on his jeans and sneakers, reached for his jacket and the car keys and ran to the door. Starsky ran down the stairs, climbed into the Torino and the engine of the heavy car started.  
_  
'Okay partner, this time you can't run away from me.'_

*********************************************************************************************************************************

Actually Starsky found his friend at his favorite place on the beach.  
Hutch sat on the wall and his guitar was lying in his lap. Quietly Starsky moved up closer and sat down on the wall beside Hutch without saying a word. Both were quiet for a long time, and then Starsky heard how Hutch sighed quietly.

"It's nice here, isn't it?"

"Yeah..."

"I love this place... It's so peaceful here... nothing to disturb me..."

"Oh...if **_I_ **am disturbing you, then..." Starsky made a move in order to get up.

"_**NO**_… no...stay!" In a hurry Hutch unexpectedly grasped for Starsky's arm and gently pulled him back again. "No...please... I would be glad if you stayed..." Sighing Hutch put his guitar aside and lost in thought stared at the almost motionless sea.

"Starsky...I can't go on like this."

"What...what do you mean?"

"I ...I feel so...empty...it hurt so much...it's as if I had lost a piece of myself, a piece of my life, Starsk...and I want to have it back. God knows...I love Reeba so much, more than my life and you too, Starsk, you both are the most important people in my life, but...but I feel like an iceberg in the Antarctic. Nothingisas it was in the past. It's, as if all of my feelings are...are dead…."

Starsky wrapped his left arm around Hutch's still thin shoulders.

"Hutch, you have been through a lot, no one wants you to forget all that. Hey...you don't need to go through this on your own. Reeba and me, we want to help you...but, you have to _**let**_ us help you. You ... you are so obdurate...you won't let anyone close to you....why?"

"Don't know …"

"You don't trust us any more?"

Hutch looked at him confused and shook his head in disbelieve.

"NO! I...I'll always trust you...with my life, you know that!"

"So why you don't you do it now?" Starsky said with a very soft voice. Hutch's face contorted as if he was in incredible pain.

"It hurts..."

"Believe me; it will get better if you tell me about it. Something happened with you in the coma, but I don't know what. I can't help you if you don't talk to me. You've got these terrible nightmares. What kind of dreams are they? Tell me about them. We never had secrets before each other. What's wrong with you? Talk to me, now!" Starsky said urgently and raised Hutch's chin with his thumb. "I'm here for you, but you need to talk!"

Hutch exhaled deeply and closed his eyes tiredly.

He just wanted to go to sleep again and have no more nightmares. He wanted to be Starsky's partner again, wanted to work again as a cop and he wanted to be something like a family for Reeba and her son. They all three were something special; a present and he didn't want to lose it.

Hutch wanted his old life back.

"Everything is so... strange Starsky." Hutch finally started with a shaky voice. "Sometimes I don't know if it's only a bad dream. After the accident...I think I...I woke up and I looked around but I couldn't find you and I thought you were dead. I thought I had lost you...But then I saw you and called your name but you didn't hear me...you walked away...I wanted to go with you but... I don't know why I couldn't follow you... I cried out, to make you stay with me and I wanted to hold on tight but you walked away. You promised not to leave me...and I was so scared...and then you were gone and...I lost you for the second time in my life. I was so...angry so... distressed and it had been my fault again like in the garage. But you have to believe me, I had no chance, you simply disappeared..." Hutch's last word ended in a tear-choked sob.

Starsky was stunned, he shook his head; he couldn't believe what he heard there.

"Hutch... how often must I tell you that it wasn't your fault. It was an _**accident**_, why can you believe me?! You had no chance of saving me whether in that damn garage or after that car accident. You remember...you saved my life when you put yourself in the line of fire and got a bullet. I should be the one to be blamed of. If I hadn't walked in that bank without thinking, you wouldn't have got hurt, wouldn't have fallen into that damn coma and maybe would have been married Reeba already and be the father of a teenage son. So, where's the problem? You have no reason to be blamed!" Starsky looked almost furiously at his friend incapable to suppress his despair.

"You didn't understand...I didn't _**want**_ to come back ..." Hutch whispered and closed his eyes sadly.

"Sorry ... what?!"

"The place where I stayed the whole time...I think I didn't want to come back... it was so nice there...no pain... no trouble, and I lost you, so why should I come back? But ...I ...I don't know why but I heard your voice...all the time in that place I-I heard your voice and most of the time I understand every word of what you, Reeba or the doctors were talking about. When they talked_ **about**_ me or _**to**_ me. But it was so ...unreal ...so... I don't know how to explain it...like a dream ...and I liked that dream! I heard the music you played for me, smelt the flowers and especially I smelt your aftershave and your terrible burritos!" Hutch smiled weakly. "And I heard you both cry about me..."

Starsky shook again his head in disbelieve. "But...but if you could hear and feel all these things, why for gods sake you didn't _**wake up**_?!"

"Oh God...because ... it was like a nightmare...I felt like I was swimming all the time in a deep sea. Sometimes it was too cold there and I figured out that I need something to warm me up, so I swam into the light of the sun. And then I could hear you...and I tried to come with you, but... it hurt too much... the sun was so hot so I went back to the deep ground and stayed there for a while. Then I dreamed about my folks talking about taking me home to Duluth! But I wanted to find you... and believe me...I really tried Starsky ...but it hurts too much. I cried out but you didn't hear me; I heard you yelling at me '_Hutchinson! Stop it!'_ And so I... dove back again to the ground..."

"But... it wasn't a dream Hutch, your folks _**were**_ there and they wanted to take you with them, but suddenly you had some terrible seizures ...I thought you would've died that day ...So I shouted and said '_stop it'_!"

Hutch looked puzzled. "What...no dream? They were really _**there**_?! But what about... I think... I was back in that garage in the department. I heard the car and I heard the shots and I saw you! But this time, I saw you alive and so I really wanted to come back and I tried it again and again. You must believe me I tried it Starsk, but I couldn't do it... it was terrible and it hurt so much!" Hutch's voice was only a hoarse whisper and he bent over as if he has to go through the pain once more.

"Stop it, Hutch...it's okay...it's okay" Starsky interrupted him in a hurry, the memories of Hutch's terrible screams still in his ears, and he never wanted to hear something similar again. Gently he pattered Hutch's hand. "It's okay Hutch ...What happened then?"

"I-I was really tired and I think I slept for a long time and then suddenly I heard...I think it was Reeba who was talking to me. I didn't understand all the words, but she talked about loving me and that she was afraid of losing you too; that day by day you were dying a little bit more waiting for me to come back. I think...I knew that this was my last chance to find you and suddenly it was very easy to walk through the light. It didn't hurt any more and I saw you there lying in that bed and you looked so ...alone, so badly hurt. I just wanted to touch you and wanted to hold you in my arms. I thought it was a dream again... but you were real and Reeba was there too ..." Hutch sobbed convulsively, tears silently rolling down his cheeks. "Starsk... it felt so good to be back, but ...god, I feel so sorry!" Hutch turned around buried his face in his hands and started to cry. "Oh God Starsk...I was dreaming it every night...every night the same dreams. Everything was so real... but I couldn't come back...couldn't wake up...I don't wanna dream anymore...I wanna wake up now! Please wake me up Starsk...I'm so sorry..."

That was the key to the lock.

"Hutch...please...don't cry...please! You _are_ awake Hutch; the bad dream is over...it's all over...sssht..."

Starsky gathered his friend in his arms and rocked him to and fro. He could feel Hutch's immense pain, but he was glad,thatfinally his friend was able to give his feelings free rein.

For a long time Starsky held the shaking body in his arms and tried to give his friend as much comfort as possible. Sometime the crying and sobbing decreased into an intense coughing fit and Hutch looked up and wiped away his tears.

"Sorry...I'm behaving like a child..."

"Nothing to feel sorry about, pal!" Starsky smiled weakly and sighted deeply.

Now he needs all his strength.

"Hutch...listen to me...I think I know why you feel so...empty. You felt guilty for not trying hard enough to come back, for not 'finding' me earlier and for causing Reeba and me so much pain, right? Those are the reasons of your nightmares and your lack of feelings. _**Guilt**_!"

"How do you know that?"

"Because _**I. Know. You**!_

You always blame yourself for everything! That your parents don't accept you the way you are, for the fact that I was shot and that you couldn't wake up from the coma and that you are what you are. My _**partner**_. My _**friend**_.

Has nobody told you that you are not responsible for everything tha thappens in your life?"

"Yes...but I'm responsible for what happens to my partner..."

"Oh shut up...You're such a big fool, Hutchinson! And I know that you know it too! It was a destiny, bad luck, call it what you like, but it wasn't your fault! You're the man you want to be, Hutch. You are _**my**_ best friend, _**my** _partner and I exactly want to have _**this**_ friend, _**this**_ partner back again in fact with all his mistakes and his bad taste when it comes up to my car!

I want _**no one**_ else!

You know... after the accident I was unconscious for days and... I believe I heard you. You called after me, I should have helped you. But... I wasn't able... I couldn't hold on tight, you suddenly disappeared and I couldn't follow you...So who's the one to blame now?"

Now Hutch smiled at him when he suddenly got clear what Starsky was talking about.

"Well I'm glad that you were there to guide me back! I needed you as my light in the dark, you haven't given up... and finally, you have made it, right?"

"Yeah, like you, when I was hit in that garage. I didn't want to come back too, because of the pain and that stuff. But you treated me and pushed me, so I had no other chance than to come back, because if I hadn't done it you would have followed me to hell! Youcanbe a real damn pain in the neck and you're a bit too much even for the devil."

This time Hutch laughed and at last it was the laughter Starsky had missed for so long.

"God Gordo! Stop it, will you?! Maybe you're right and I was a fool, but..."

"No.._.**you**_ stop it, partner! And I _**am** _right! No more 'buts' and 'sorrys', it's enough. It's over, it's finished! But promise something..."

"What ever you want..."

"No more guilt trips from now, okay? It's over and you're back again and neither Reeba nor I will let you go away again."

"Yes ... Reeba..." Hutch's eyes sparkled with happiness. "She's something special, like a gift... as well as you are. I don't know why I deserved you both and who sent you two, but I love you both, you're the biggest gift for me." Hutch's voice became fragile and he fought his rising tears. "Reeba has said something about a gift... what was it?"

Starsky looked up and he frowned.

"I was so furious with you because you had thrown yourself in the line of fire and Reeba said that you did it as a victim, it would be like a gift and I should take care about it. You would also die for me because... you would love me so much. '_Don't get mad at him.'_ She told me. '_Take it as a gift_.'

And so I took it. And I won't give it away, it's here." He tapped on his left chest. "Here in my heart."

Hutch looked at his friend and there it was again, this bright irresistible smile Starsky had missed for so long.

He had his friend back.

Starsky heard Hutch mumbling something quietly and softly touched his friends arm.

"Hutch...?"

"I'm okay Starsky...I just remember a song I started writing some weeks ago but never was able to finish it. I found the end now...you wanna hear it?"

"What ever you want, pal..." And to Starsky's surprise Hutch reached for his guitar and started to play.

_What ever you think,  
__where ever I go where ever it goes,  
__maybe only behind the light.  
__You are my prize,  
__Since I've known you, since I've known you,  
__I see my luck in you. _

_  
The fog clears; I change as fast as I can  
__And what doesn't change, I'm still with it now.  
__Stick to the stars,  
__Until one falls down, tears open my chest.  
__I don't hesitate long,  
__I put on the sails, wrap up the moon for you,  
cut the cables, want to be only with you.  
__And if you do nothing for me,  
__You're doing it well. _

_  
What ever you think  
__Where ever I go, where ever it goes,  
__maybe only behind the light.  
__You're the prize,  
since I've known you, since I've known you,  
__I see my luck in you. _

_  
You've caught me up in a silky net,  
__The life has torn, but in the end,  
__It's getting wings, flies up and away,  
__These are your eyes – so bright and so gentle.  
__And you laugh and you glow,  
__The nod of your head,  
__Bring me tears of joy  
__And takes nothing in return  
and you do something to me  
and you doing it well. _

_  
What ever you think  
__where ever I go, where ever it goes,  
__maybe only behind the light.  
__You're the gift, of all prizes,  
__I see my luck in you._

'_Luck' copyright by Herbert Grönemeyer 2008_

When Hutch ended both were quiet for along while. Starsky looked out at the sea and felt tears burning in his eyes. Finally, he cleared his throat and tried to suppress the tremble in his voice.

"Don't know what to say...That... that was beautiful..."

"It's for Reeba and for you...both of you are _**my** _luck...."

"Hutch..."

"Its okay Starsky... 'Take it as a gift' you remember?!"

"Yeah... we both are gifted...huh?" Starsky breathed deeply, then he grinned and gently tapped Hutch's shoulder. "Now partner, you want to sit here the whole night and watch the sunrise or would you prefer your warm soft bed?"

"You're right...I'm really tired... I think I need some real sleep!"

"Then what about we take the Torino, drive back to your place and we call it a night? Or do_ **you**_ want to drive back?"

"Oh, no thanks, I prefer the tomato, Starsk."

"You're welcome; come on big boy, bed's calling!"

Both men stood up and walked to the red car.

"Starsk?"

"Mmmh?"

"Thanks for waiting for me and for watching over me!"

Starsky stopped and hugged his friend, then he held him on arm's length.

"Hey, you are my big brother, my best friend, that's what friends are for! And I was not alone. I know there's a pretty young lady with brown hair who was waiting for you a long time ago. And you know, never keep a woman waiting!"

"Yes, you're right... What about buying something for breakfast and driving to Memorial. Reeba is on nightshift and maybe she needs a good breakfast."

"Aha...Good idea, but what about being tired and needing some real sleep?!" Hutch smiled. "I slept for over half a year, it's time to wake up and start my life again!"

Starsky had to laugh and gave Hutch a light blow on the back of his head.

"Oh man, this boy has really fallen in love! Come on Romeo, I'll take you to your Juliet!"

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Reeba was surprised when both detectives appeared early in the morning in the ER heavily loaded with several bags full of food. Despite the suppressed giggles of her colleagues Starsky shoved Reeba out of the nurse's lounge and started to hunt in the kitchen. Hutch took her with him and guided her to the entrance door.

"Ken... what's going on...is everything okay?" She asked uncertainly, Hutch's sparkling eyes made her nervous.

"Oh yes...of course... believe me... never been better! But I have to tell you something very...important!"

"Aha... and what is so important that you have to come at five o'clock in the morning to the ER? Please, come back later...I've a lot work to do..."

"Will you marry me?"

"_**What?! What did you say**?!" _She felt for his forehead and raised one eyebrow.

"Will you marry me!"

"You probably starting a fever... what is it, a relapse or what?"

"No! I never felt better! I just have fallen in love with the woman who saved my life. She has given me a new life and now I would like to share this new life with her. Is there something wrong with it?"

"Hutchinson... you are crazy!"

"Well Ma'am... I didn't get up so early just to removable rejected now! Reeba... I won't accept a no! I love you and I love Nat like my own son. I never had a real family, but you, Starsky and you, you have given me one. You were there when nobody believed in me, least of all me. I don't want to spend my life without you. I need you... please, Reeba Hunter, _**I love you**_!"

Reeba's brown eyes filled with tears and her mouth twisted to a broad smile.

"And I love you too, Ken Hutchinson... welcome back to life!"

Reeba fell into his arms and, laughing, Hutch flung her around like a doll.

"Hey Hutch... don't push it to much…remember, I warned you about this... she'll end up putting you into the next free bed!" Starsky stood in the door frame grinning and observed Hutch's playful spinning around with a happy smile.

"Yes, but only with Reeba as my private nurse!" Hutch laughed and hugged Reeba firmly in his arms.

"Then come in you two lovebirds, breakfast is ready and I'm starving!"

"Oh, we must do something about that! You're intolerable when you are hungry!"

Hutch's glance rested on Starsky and he wrapped his free arm around his friends shoulder.

It was a long time ago since he had been as happy as he was today.

Hutch hugged his both friends.

Life was good.

Someone's watching over him and... He liked it.

**The END**


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